Mitch LeClair

mleclair2@stcloud.gannett.com

Add St. Cloud State University to the growing list of places banning so-called hoverboards.

On Thursday, Public Safety Director Kevin Whitlock said reports of injuries, fires and explosions from the devices led the school to prohibit them before spring semester.

He said conversations centered on news reports of hoverboards causing harm, their popularity during the holiday gift-giving season and caution from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Whitlock said he has seen one or two of the devices on campus, and the university wanted to be on the front end of keeping students safe. Staff will be watching for developments in the products and updated guidance from the CPSC, he said, and the school may update its policy later.

On Wednesday, an email from the Public Safety Department to students announced the ban and said safety concerns "are not limited to one production line or brand."

While the two-wheeled, self-balancing, motorized machines do not float above ground as their common name suggests, they have flown into the crosshairs of administrators nationwide.

According to The Associated Press, at least 20 schools have banned or restricted the devices on campuses.

Professional athletes, popular musicians and other celebrities have helped raise the profile of the devices in recent months.

According to Inside Higher Ed, "More than 60 airlines bar hoverboards on their flights, and it is illegal to ride them on public roads in Britain."

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