Constable Mark Herman urges six school districts to ban unregistered electric motorcycles on campus

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - With students set to return to class in the coming weeks, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman is asking six area school districts to take action against what he calls a growing safety problem involving unregistered electric motorcycles.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable urging school districts to take action against e-bikes

What we know:

Herman recently sent letters to Klein ISD, Tomball ISD, Spring ISD, Aldine ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and Humble ISD, requesting each district adopt a policy prohibiting unregistered electric motorcycles from being operated or parked on district property.

According to Herman, the proposal is aimed at high-powered electric minibikes, pocket bikes, dirt bikes and similar motorized vehicles—not lawful Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 e-bikes.

In his letter, Herman says many of these vehicles are classified as motorcycles or mopeds under Texas law, meaning they require registration, insurance and a licensed operator when driven on public roadways. He says deputies have stopped numerous juveniles riding the vehicles on streets and sidewalks and have responded to crashes involving children. As the popularity of the vehicles continues to grow, Herman says so does the potential for serious injuries. 

Herman also says many of the vehicles are capable of reaching speeds comparable to traditional motorcycles while lacking required registration, insurance, lighting and other roadway safety equipment. He expressed concern that many riders are operating them without helmets, formal training or the legal qualifications required to operate a motor vehicle. 

The constable is asking districts to notify students and parents before the school year begins and says his office is willing to partner with school police departments to provide bicycle, e-bike and motorized vehicle safety education.

Herman emphasized the proposal does not apply to lawful Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 e-bikes, mobility devices or motor-assisted scooters that may legally be operated under Texas law.

What's the difference?:

To better understand the proposal, FOX 26 spoke with staff at Planetary Cycles, who explained the difference between legal e-bikes and the higher-powered electric motorcycles Herman wants school districts to address.

Employees demonstrated that legal e-bikes fall into three classifications:

• Class 1: Pedal-assist only; motor assistance stops at 20 mph.
• Class 2: Equipped with a throttle; motor assistance stops at 20 mph.
• Class 3: Pedal-assist only; motor assistance stops at 28 mph.

They said parents should research exactly what they’re buying because not every electric two-wheeled vehicle is legally classified as an e-bike. They also encouraged families to make sure children wear helmets, understand traffic laws and ride age-appropriate bikes.

What they're saying:

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD says it has already begun addressing concerns surrounding high-powered electric motorcycles.

In a June 25 message to families, Superintendent Dr. Doug Killian wrote:

Dear CFISD Community: As we prepare to welcome families back for a wonderful 2026-27 school year, maintaining a safe, secure and welcoming environment remains our absolute priority. Recently, Harris County Precinct 4 and Precinct 5 Constables shared a critical safety trend with our district regarding a steady rise in traffic concerns and injuries involving electric motorcycles, including electric minibikes, pocket bikes and similar high-powered motorized devices. These motorized bikes differ significantly from traditional e-bikes which must have pedals to function and do not exceed a speed of 28 mph. In fact, they shared that the operation of these electric vehicles without a license on our roads and sidewalks is not only unsafe, but illegal. We understand that this was becoming such a safety and motor concern that law enforcement identified electric bikes requiring licenses at some of our schools and called parents to come and get them, since children could not operate them legally on the streets or sidewalks.
To support our local law enforcement partners and protect our families from both safety hazards and unexpected legal liabilities, CFISD is strongly discouraging students from operating or parking these unregistered motorized devices on district property.

We ask parents and guardians to carefully consider the following safety and legal risks before allowing students to ride these devices to school:

- High-Speed Risks in Traffic Zones: Many of these electric devices are capable of reaching speeds comparable to traditional motor vehicles. When mixed into heavily congested school drop-off and pick-up zones, the risk of a severe collision increases dramatically.
- Legal and Licensing Requirements: Unlike standard bicycles or lawful e-bikes, many of these high-powered devices require a valid driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance to be legally operated. Law enforcement has noted an increase in unlicensed and untrained juveniles operating these vehicles on public streets and sidewalks.
- Lack of Standard Safety Equipment: Many of these vehicles lack the required lighting and roadway compliance standards necessary for safe operation. Furthermore, authorities frequently observe students operating them without helmets or proper safety gear.

Our goal is always to prevent accidents before they happen. In the coming months, CFISD will be partnering with our local constable precincts to offer traffic and motorized vehicle safety education for our students and families.

We ask for your partnership in talking with your children about safe transportation choices. Thank you for your continued support in keeping the CFISD community safe as we embark on a fantastic 2026-27 school year.

In the best interest of children,
Doug Killian, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
 

Klein ISD statement

Klein ISD provided FOX 26 with the following statement:

"As always, Klein ISD will continue to work collaboratively with our valued law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our students and staff at school."

Dig deeper:

FOX 26 reached out to Spring ISD, Tomball ISD, Aldine ISD and Humble ISD for comment. As of publication, those districts had not responded. This story will be updated if additional statements are received.

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