Dallas College Brookhaven Campus students are no longer allowed to skateboard to class. Brookhaven Campus police adopted a new guideline prohibiting skateboarding on campus.

The ban was placed after an injury during the Fall 2021 semester, according to Brookhaven police. The ban became effective in the summer of 2022 and prohibits all skateboarding and longboarding on campus.

Capt. Randy Bratton, a Dallas College police officer at Brookhaven, said, “A skateboarder was doing tricks in the middle of campus and had a serious injury where they broke a bone.” Bratton said he saw another incident where students were skateboarding, nearly knocking people over on campus. “It was quite obvious that it was a safety issue,” Bratton said.

According to the Dallas College student handbook, there is no rule against skateboarding. “There is no official penalty but if you do not comply, you will receive a verbal warning and be reprimanded by a policy officer,” Bratton said. The ban is focused on the spaces between campus buildings as opposed to the walking trails and parking lots.

Lauretta Hill, Dallas College police chief, said the injury and other incidents prompted the new guideline. “If a student violates the no skateboarding ban, it is a potential student code of conduct violation,” Hill said.

“There was some damage to the handrails and the stairs outside,” John Watson, Brookhaven facilities manager, said. Eight “no skateboarding” signs have been placed around campus and more are expected to be put up. Signs are placed in areas such as stairways and walkways where skateboarders might perform tricks. “The signage is emphasized in the high traffic areas,” Bratton said.

Isom Hill, an Early College High School student, said he used a longboard as a form of transportation in previous semesters. “I skated at Brookhaven to get from class to class faster,” Hill said.

He had to adjust after the ban. “I had to get a bike to commute to Brookhaven and other skaters were forced to find a different means of transportation,” Hill said.

Dallas skateboarder and YouTuber Eric Kuhns said Brookhaven was “built to skate” and “the school has so much” for skating in a 2018 video. When reached for a comment about the new ban, Kuhns wrote back: “I wasn’t aware that they banned skateboarding from the campus. I would probably say that it seems strange they would ban skateboarding when all other sports are still allowed and can produce the same injuries. Seems a bit biased? Brookhaven is an amazing spot to skate and has perfect architecture for skating so it’s sad to hear they made this decision.”

Brookhaven Campus is one of the few Texas college campuses to enact this policy. Bratton said Eastfield Campus has a similar policy.

The University of Texas at Dallas allows skateboarding as long as students stay in control of their boards, give pedestrians the right of way and do not ride inside buildings or parking garages, according to their website. Collin College campuses allow skateboards outside only.

The University of Texas at Arlington students are allowed to skateboard on UTA property in areas where bicycles are permitted. The University of North Texas only prohibits skateboards in parking garages, according to UNT Transportation Services.