Pinellas schools eye new rules for e-bikes, smart glasses, water bottles

With concerns of past accidents in mind, Pinellas County school officials have proposed adding new rules on e-bikes to the student code of conduct.

The rules, which would apply to any vehicle powered by an electric battery, would not supersede local ordinances, said Dywayne Hinds, the area superintendent who oversees the student code.

But once children arrive on campus, they would have to follow the guidelines set forth by the district. Those include requirements to walk rather than ride them on school grounds and park them in provided bike racks or storage areas. If the law requires helmets, so, too, will the district.

Students would not be allowed to charge their lithium ion batteries on campus.

The district also would make clear that it is not responsible for theft, loss, vandalism or damage to bikes, which students would bring at their own risk.

Officials have recommended a handful of notable other changes to the code of conduct, as well.

One includes a ban on student use of smart glasses and other “wearable recording devices” that can record, transmit or store audio, video or communications.

“Schools were requesting guidelines” after a handful of students brought such devices to campus, Hinds said.

Because of privacy and security concerns, including possible cheating on tests, the district is poised to tell students to keep the devices off and out of sight at all times during the class day, on school buses and at school-sponsored events.

Board chairperson Caprice Edmond asked whether students with special needs who use the devices to support their education would be allowed to do so. Stephanie Long, the district’s chief student support officer, said children’s individualized education plans will be followed.

In another proposed change, superintendent Kevin Hendrick called for ending the district’s ban on drinking on school buses, but only for water.

The district supports children’s hydration, Hinds said, observing that students carry water bottles in school and on buses. A ban on drinking from them, implemented in the past to avoid spills, isn’t reasonable, he said.

The school board is scheduled to hold its first public hearing on the proposed code of conduct changes on May 19, with final adoption slated for June 23.