CUSD Makes Riding Bikes To School Difficult

The Carlsbad Unified School District is making it more difficult for students to get to school in 2023-24, as well as creating more costly bureaucratic headaches for itself thanks to a new bike and e-bike parking permit program. Next year, only bicycles or e-bikes that have been properly permitted and stickered will be allowed to park on CUSD school campuses.

Students riding a Bike or Ebike must complete an application and attend a Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) approved Bike & Ebike Safety Presentation. After completion of this application process, students will then receive a district-issued parking permit sticker (sticker) to be affixed to their Bike or Ebike. Stickers will be issued through each school office. Students who do not have a sticker visibly affixed to their Bike or Ebike will not be permitted to bring their Bike or Ebike onto any CUSD campus.

Bicycle safety education should be a part of Carlsbad school curriculum at every level, however, requiring permits and stickers for bicycles does nothing but make it more difficult for kids to ride a bike to school. 

Yes, kids need to follow the rules and be safe on their way to school, but discouraging bicycling to school by adding unnecessary permitting is a huge step backwards for a community of students that is leading the nation in the adoption of alternative forms of transportation. For all the official details, please follow the jump.

Bike and Ebike Requirements for 2023-24

Beginning in the upcoming school year, all students will be required to apply for a permit if they plan to ride a Bike or Ebike to school and park it on campus.

Students riding a Bike or Ebike must complete an application and attend a Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) approved Bike & Ebike Safety Presentation. After completion of this application process, students will then receive a district-issued parking permit sticker (sticker) to be affixed to their Bike or Ebike. Stickers will be issued through each school office. Students who do not have a sticker visibly affixed to their Bike or Ebike will not be permitted to bring their Bike or Ebike onto any CUSD campus.

Bike and Ebike Parking Permits will be renewed annually, meaning students must complete an online application and attend a CUSD-approved Bike & Ebike Safety Presentation prior to the start of each school year. There will be no charge to students for any portion of this application process. The online application link will be available throughout the year for students who are new to CUSD after the start of the school year, as well as for students who decide after the start of the school year that they now wish to ride their Bike or Ebike to school. CUSD approved Bike & Ebike Safety Presentations will also be made available at different times throughout the school year on select CUSD campuses.

A two-week grace period will also be given for all students at the start of each school year, and for all new CUSD students beginning on their first day of enrollment – regardless of their month of enrollment. If there are more than two weeks between their first day of enrollment and the next CUSD-approved Bike & Ebike Safety Presentation, parents/students send an email to bikepermit@carlsbadusd.net requesting information about obtaining a Temporary Bike & Ebike Permit.

Please Note:
Bike & Ebike Permits are a privilege and may be revoked at any time for not following the safety expectations covered in the CUSD-approved Safety Presentation. This includes wearing a helmet while riding as well as riding safely to and from school and to and from a school-sponsored event.

If your student has already completed one of the thirteen Bike & Ebike Safety Presentations held on CUSD campuses over the past few months, that participation counts towards completion of the aforementioned Bike & Ebike Permit process.

Please look for an announcement from the City of Carlsbad coming soon, advertising this summer’s dates, times and locations of their Bike & Ebike Safety Presentation. Each training is expected to last one hour. The dates, times and locations are tentatively scheduled as follows:

July 10th
8:00 a.m. Sage Creek High School – PAC (Performing Arts Center)
8:00 a.m. Poinsettia Elementary School – MPR (Multi Purpose Room)
1:00 p.m. Sage Creek High School – PAC
1:00 p.m. Poinsettia Elementary School – MPR

Aug 7th
8:00 a.m. Sage Creek High School – PAC
8:00 a.m. Poinsettia Elementary School – MPR
1:00 p.m. Sage Creek High School – PAC
1:00 p.m. Poinsettia Elementary School – MPR

Please look for our new Bike & Ebike Safety web page containing all of this information in greater detail, coming later in June. Each school site will also share information in the days leading up to the next school year.

[Link: Carlsbad Unified Connections]