Arizona governor blocks cash from schools mandating masks
3 years, 4 months ago

Arizona governor blocks cash from schools mandating masks

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. “These grants acknowledge efforts by schools and educators that are following state laws and keeping their classroom doors open for Arizona’s students.” School districts with current mask mandates will have 10 days to rescind them or lose out on the money, Ducey spokesman C.J. Ducey also created a $10 million grant program that largely mirrors the state’s private school voucher program by awarding parents $7,000 for each student if their public school required isolating or quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, or if it mandated masks or gave preferential treatment to vaccinated children. “With the delta variant running rampant and COVID-19 cases among children on the rise, it’s disgusting to put a bounty on spreading this illness to kids and punishing schools that try to operate safely.” And Democratic U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in a tweet called Ducey’s action “the most absurdly dangerous and anti-science step has taken.” “Until kids under 12 have access to the vaccine, what are parents supposed to do?” she asked. “Just hope their kids don’t get sick and end up in the ICU?” Arizona has seen coronavirus cases surge in the last six weeks, and numerous school districts have had large outbreaks.

Students School Districts Schools Arizona State Public Phoenix District School Districts Mask Ducey Mask Mandates Karamargin  blocks  arizona  districts  school  covid19  mandating  governor  schools  district  masks  public  students  state  cash  mask

History of this topic

Despite Trump’s win, school vouchers were again rejected by majorities of voters
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Despite Trump’s win, school vouchers were again rejected by majorities of voters

Raw Story  

In 2018, Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected school vouchers. Coming into this week’s election, Donald Trump and Republicans had hoped to reverse that sort of popular opposition to “school choice” with new voucher ballot measures in several states. And in Colorado, voters defeated an effort to add a “right to school choice” to the state constitution, language that might have allowed …

New Arizona governor wants to undo school voucher expansion
1 year, 11 months ago

New Arizona governor wants to undo school voucher expansion

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wants to undo a massive expansion of a school voucher program championed last year by her GOP predecessor and other Republicans that lets students apply to use public money for private-school tuition and other education costs. In releasing its budget proposals Friday, the governor’s office said the expansion is siphoning money from underfunded …

Huge Arizona school voucher plan in effect after foes fail
2 years, 2 months ago

Huge Arizona school voucher plan in effect after foes fail

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — All Arizona parents now can use state tax money to send their children to private or religious schools or pay homeschooling costs after an effort by public school advocates to block a massive expansion of the state’s private school voucher law failed to collect enough signatures to block it. He celebrated on Twitter, saying “Let’s Roll!” and “Parents …

Foes of Arizona school vouchers file to block huge expansion
2 years, 3 months ago

Foes of Arizona school vouchers file to block huge expansion

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Public school advocates who oppose a massive expansion of Arizona’s private school voucher system enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. “But we have enough that we feel confident that with the validity of our signatures we can turn in and get through the processing and get it on the ballot.” Voucher opponents …

Arizona governor touts school voucher plan, slams opponents
2 years, 4 months ago

Arizona governor touts school voucher plan, slams opponents

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and backers of universal school vouchers took a victory lap Tuesday over legislation the Republican-controlled Legislature enacted in June giving the state the nation’s most expansive voucher system, and he also used the time to attack backers of public schools who are trying to block the measure at the ballot. “There’s no one-size …

Arizona OKs biggest US school voucher plan, faces challenge
2 years, 5 months ago

Arizona OKs biggest US school voucher plan, faces challenge

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Republican Gov. The expansion Ducey signed will let every parent in Arizona take public money now sent to the K-12 public school system and use it to pay for their children’s private school tuition or other education costs. “Our network of volunteers across the state are pumped and ready.” Lewis and other public school advocates say vouchers take …

School's out forever: Arizona moves "to kill public education" with new universal voucher law
2 years, 5 months ago

School's out forever: Arizona moves "to kill public education" with new universal voucher law

Salon  

Last Friday, while the country reeled from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, Arizona made history of a different sort. In practice, the law will now give parents who opt out of public schools a debit card for roughly $7,000 per child that can be used to pay for private school tuition, but also for much more: for religious …

Arizona governor OK’s ban on school COVID-19 vaccines
2 years, 7 months ago

Arizona governor OK’s ban on school COVID-19 vaccines

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona’s Republican governor has signed legislation that will prevent state health officials from ever adding a COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required school inoculations and bar face mask mandates in any buildings operated by state or local governments. One would bar schools from requiring students to don masks unless their parents gave their explicit OK and another …

Georgia push on COVID rules aims at vaccines, school masks
2 years, 8 months ago

Georgia push on COVID rules aims at vaccines, school masks

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia public school students are now free of mask mandates for five years, while a one-year ban on letting governments and schools require vaccines against COVID-19 neared Gov. The Republican Kemp on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 514, which would let parents opt their children out of school mask mandates for the next five years. “The Unmask Georgia Students …

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week
2 years, 9 months ago

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week

CNN  

CNN — New York will no longer require students to wear masks in schools beginning on Wednesday, Gov. Counties and cities that have a higher rate of Covid-19 transmission have the “flexibility” to keep the mask requirement in schools, Hochul said, and parents and guardians may still send their children to school in masks. “If we see no unforeseen spikes …

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate

Associated Press  

Gavin Newsom delayed a closely watched decision on lifting California’s school mask mandate Monday, even as other Democratic governors around the country have dropped them in recent weeks. But the teachers’ stance was made clear minutes after Ghaly finished speaking, when the powerful California Teachers Association issued a statement praising the “cautious approach to masking.” “We know that masking, strong …

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends
2 years, 10 months ago

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends

CNN  

CNN — Just one day before California is set to relax a statewide mask mandate for vaccinated people in indoor public spaces, the state’s top health official announced that masks will still be required in schools. There will be no change to the school requirement, Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced at a press conference Monday. …

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement
2 years, 10 months ago

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement

Associated Press  

Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education on Thursday to stop requiring face coverings in schools. “A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” the Republican governor wrote in a letter to Clarence Crawford, the board’s president. “If these trends are not reversed …

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon
2 years, 10 months ago

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon

Salon  

As U.S. omicron case numbers drop from their January peak, some states with in-person instruction have started to drop their mask mandates for schools. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, agreed that it's too early for schools to lift their mask mandates. Blumberg noted that …

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle
2 years, 10 months ago

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle

Associated Press  

As some of the last statewide mask mandates in the U.S. near an end, decisions about whether students and teachers should continue to wear masks in school are shifting to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most combustible issues of the pandemic. If the decision had to be made right away, he said, his …

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools
2 years, 10 months ago

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools

Al Jazeera  

School board meeting have devolved into shouting matches and arrests over whether masks should be worn. “We can’t allow those individual passions to decide the debate.” The issue of masks in schools has been so contentious in much of the country that school board meetings have devolved into shouting matches and arrests, superintendents have seen protesters outside their homes, and …

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. Phil Murphy called the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids” and said individual school districts will be free to continue requiring masks after …

Last 3 Florida school districts drop student mask mandates
3 years, 1 month ago

Last 3 Florida school districts drop student mask mandates

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The last three school districts …

Arizona high court upholds ruling blocking school mask bans
3 years, 1 month ago

Arizona high court upholds ruling blocking school mask bans

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously upheld a lower court judgment that found the Republican-controlled Legislature violated the state constitution by including new laws banning school mask mandates and a series of other measures in unrelated budget bills. The court upheld a September ruling from Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper that blocked the school mask …

COVID vaccine and mask fury shakes up California schools
3 years, 2 months ago

COVID vaccine and mask fury shakes up California schools

LA Times  

Downtown Sutter Creek in Amador County, where a parent assaulted a teacher because of a COVID-19 mask mandate in schools, according to school officials. In the second full academic year of the pandemic, such behavior has reared its head on school campuses across the U.S. Demonstrators opposed to masking and mandatory vaccination for students gather outside the Los Angeles Unified …

Court sides with Florida’s Ron DeSantis and reinstates school mask mandate ban pending appeal
3 years, 3 months ago

Court sides with Florida’s Ron DeSantis and reinstates school mask mandate ban pending appeal

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A …

State mask bans face federal civil rights inquiries
3 years, 3 months ago

State mask bans face federal civil rights inquiries

Associated Press  

The Education Department on Monday opened civil rights investigations into five Republican-led states that have banned or limited mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions. In its letters, the department said it’s concerned that the states “may be preventing schools from making individualized assessments about mask use so that …

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates
3 years, 3 months ago

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates

NPR  

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates Enlarge this image toggle caption Marta Lavandier/AP Marta Lavandier/AP A Florida judge has ruled that school districts in the state can require students to wear masks. Judge John Cooper ruled on a lawsuit brought by parents who say DeSantis overstepped his authority when his administration said school districts …

Judge rules against Florida Gov. DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools
3 years, 3 months ago

Judge rules against Florida Gov. DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools

CNN  

Miami CNN — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools will not remain in place, Leon County’s 2nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge John Cooper ruled Friday. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts – frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented.” The ruling comes after a …

Florida school mask mandate power struggle goes before judge
3 years, 4 months ago

Florida school mask mandate power struggle goes before judge

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida’s power struggle over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infections landed Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit that challenges Gov. “It is certainly an emergency.” The Florida Constitution and state law give school boards the authority to decide health and safety matters affecting their students, Dodson said. Citing state statistics from 2020, …

Two Florida counties double down on school mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Two Florida counties double down on school mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Florida’s Broward and Alachua counties are not backing down on mask mandates in schools, despite Gov. More than 14,000 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Florida’s 15 largest school districts since the start of the school year – 11,851 students and 2,610 school employees, according to a CNN analysis. More than 360 students and over 16 faculty and …

Schools Blocking Mask Mandates Could Face Civil Rights Probes, Official Says
3 years, 4 months ago

Schools Blocking Mask Mandates Could Face Civil Rights Probes, Official Says

NPR  

Schools Blocking Mask Mandates Could Face Civil Rights Probes, Official Says Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Department of Education is preparing its Office of Civil Rights to investigate schools that have blocked school mask mandates and other efforts to try to keep students and educators safe from COVID-19. Republican-led states like …

GOP governors, school districts battle over mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

GOP governors, school districts battle over mask mandates

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Millions of students in Florida, Texas and Arizona are now required to wear masks in class as school boards in mostly Democratic areas have defied their Republican governors and made face coverings mandatory. “We’re going to continue our mask mandate to keep students safe, to keep parents safe, to keep families safe and most importantly our …

States banning mask mandates could face civil rights probes
3 years, 4 months ago

States banning mask mandates could face civil rights probes

Associated Press  

In an escalating battle with Republican governors, President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against states that have blocked school mask mandates and other public health measures meant to protect students against COVID-19. In an announcement on its website, the Education Department said policies that ban mask mandates could amount to discrimination if …

In Florida, Texas And Arizona, Defiant School Leaders Are Sticking With Mask Mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

In Florida, Texas And Arizona, Defiant School Leaders Are Sticking With Mask Mandates

NPR  

In Florida, Texas And Arizona, Defiant School Leaders Are Sticking With Mask Mandates Enlarge this image toggle caption Chris O'Meara/AP Chris O'Meara/AP Across the country, as students and teachers head back into school buildings in the midst of a COVID-19 surge, school superintendents in Florida, Texas and Arizona are standing firm against state leaders who say masks shouldn't be mandated …

Florida state school board takes steps against two districts over mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Florida state school board takes steps against two districts over mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Florida’s State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday at an emergency meeting to recommend investigations into two school districts whose mask mandates defy Gov. Ron DeSantis Joe Raedle/Getty Images The board authorized the state education commissioner “to take all legal steps” against Alachua and Broward counties for requiring people in their school districts to wear masks. Florida Education …

Judge: Phoenix district can keep mask rule, at least for now
3 years, 4 months ago

Judge: Phoenix district can keep mask rule, at least for now

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — A metro Phoenix school district can keep its mask requirement for now, despite a new state law barring such mandates, a judge ruled Monday. Warner said the new law surrounding school mask mandates doesn’t take effect until Sept. 29, rejecting Hester’s claim that the statute has been in force since the Legislature approved it in late June. Warner …

In Florida and Texas, mask orders turn schools into battlegrounds
3 years, 4 months ago

In Florida and Texas, mask orders turn schools into battlegrounds

LA Times  

Kindergarten student Taiden Watkins reads a book Tuesday, the first day of school at Washington Elementary in Riviera Beach, Fla. Carlee Simon, the superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools in Florida, looked forward to welcoming students to the new school year — one in which they would not be required to wear masks and could, at last, see one another’s …

Biden praises Arizona, Florida school chiefs on mask-wearing
3 years, 4 months ago

Biden praises Arizona, Florida school chiefs on mask-wearing

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — President Joe Biden has commended the leadership of two Arizona and Florida school district superintendents after the districts’ boards recently implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors. Biden spoke separately by phone Friday with Superintendent Chad Gestson of the Phoenix Union High School District and interim Superintendent Vickie Cartwright of Broward County Public School, the White …

Lawsuit seeks to undo Arizona limits on local virus measures
3 years, 4 months ago

Lawsuit seeks to undo Arizona limits on local virus measures

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — A coalition of educators, parents and advocates for children is asking a judge to overturn several new Arizona laws that restrict the power of local governments and school districts to impose COVID-19 requirements, arguing the statutes violate constitutional rules and pointing out the state is seeing a growing number of virus cases among children. A new lawsuit filed …

Republicans take to mask wars as virus surges in red states
3 years, 4 months ago

Republicans take to mask wars as virus surges in red states

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Top Republicans are battling school districts in their own states’ urban, heavily Democratic areas over whether students should be required to mask up as they head back to school — reigniting ideological divides over mandates even as the latest coronavirus surge ravages the reddest, most unvaccinated parts of the nation. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a letter to …

Defiance of Texas ban on mask mandates continues to grow
3 years, 4 months ago

Defiance of Texas ban on mask mandates continues to grow

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates continued Wednesday as more Texas school districts and communities announced plans to require students to wear face coverings and another county scored a legal victory in its efforts to issue such mandates amid a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the state. Late Wednesday, officials in Fort Bend County, located …

Oklahoma City public charter school plans to defy mask ban
3 years, 4 months ago

Oklahoma City public charter school plans to defy mask ban

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — The superintendent of a public charter school in Oklahoma City said Wednesday that students and staff must begin wearing masks indoors, defying a new state law that prohibits such a mandate. Superintendent Chris Brewster at Santa Fe South Schools, a 3,500-student, pre-K through 12 district in south Oklahoma City, also said in a letter on the district’s …

Schools fight back against GOP governors, defy bans on masks
3 years, 4 months ago

Schools fight back against GOP governors, defy bans on masks

Associated Press  

SALT LAKE CITY — With the highly contagious delta variant fueling a surge in coronavirus cases just as students return to classrooms, major school districts in Arizona, Florida, Texas and beyond are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several states. “At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my …

Florida governor threatens to withhold salaries of school leaders who impose mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Florida governor threatens to withhold salaries of school leaders who impose mask mandates

LA Times  

The superintendent of the school district in Florida’s capital said Monday that he will require students to wear masks amid an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations fueled by the Delta variant, defying the governor’s attempts to block schools from imposing such a mandate. I can’t.” Ordered by DeSantis, the Florida Department of Health issued an emergency rule last week saying districts …

New COVID-19 infections in Arizona surge past 2,800 cases
3 years, 4 months ago

New COVID-19 infections in Arizona surge past 2,800 cases

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona is experiencing another significant leap in new COVID-19 infections, with more than 2,800 reported on Friday. Combs Unified School District in the San Tan Valley near the Phoenix suburb of Chandler announced that fifth and sixth-graders at one school will learn remotely next week because of multiple positive cases. More than 150 Arizona doctors on Thursday criticized …

Schools reopen with masks optional in many US classrooms
3 years, 4 months ago

Schools reopen with masks optional in many US classrooms

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “They’re not vaccinated because they’re too young, and I …

Some Florida School Districts Will Require Masks. The Governor May Cut Their Funding
3 years, 4 months ago

Some Florida School Districts Will Require Masks. The Governor May Cut Their Funding

NPR  

Some Florida School Districts Will Require Masks. On Friday, Florida's Board of Education further complicated matters for public schools by announcing they would provide private school vouchers for parents who see mask-wearing requirements as "harrassment" of their children. Disagreement over whether kids needs masks DeSantis cited a study, conducted in part by Brown University researcher Emily Oster, that did not …

Arkansas judge temporarily blocks state law banning mask mandates in schools
3 years, 4 months ago

Arkansas judge temporarily blocks state law banning mask mandates in schools

CNN  

CNN — An Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the state’s law banning mask mandates in schools on Friday in response to lawsuits filed by a school district and parents who want schools to be able to require masks if they choose to. “While the Arkansas General Assembly did not amend Act 1002, my objective has been achieved by …

Bans on mask mandates by GOP governors are being successfully challenged in court
3 years, 4 months ago

Bans on mask mandates by GOP governors are being successfully challenged in court

Salon  

An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its recently-passed ban on school mask mandates, defying the state's governor and GOP-led legislature – both of whom have fought tirelessly against COVID health precautions. Ron DeSantis had vehemently fought mask mandates in the state's public school system, issuing an executive order last Friday to ban them. Adducing Florida's …

Arizona doctors urge governor to require masks in schools
3 years, 4 months ago

Arizona doctors urge governor to require masks in schools

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — More than 150 Arizona doctors on Thursday urged Gov. Doug Ducey to mandate masks in public schools, dialing up pressure as coronavirus cases rise and a growing number of school districts require their staff and students to mask up in defiance of a new state law. “Your prohibition on mask requirements means no Arizona school can provide a …

Some Florida school districts defy DeSantis, require masks
3 years, 4 months ago

Some Florida school districts defy DeSantis, require masks

Associated Press  

MIAMI — Despite a ban by Gov. Ron DeSantis, two Florida school districts have decided to require masks when children return to classrooms because of dramatic rises in coronavirus infections, with the state leading the country in hospitalizations. The Duval County School Board voted late Tuesday to require students to wear masks unless parents submit paperwork to opt out. Instead, …

Arkansas governor seeks to lift ban on school mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Arkansas governor seeks to lift ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

— Arkansas’ Republican governor said Thursday that he will call lawmakers back to the Capitol to consider lifting the state’s ban on mask requirements in public schools as the state’s coronavirus cases continue surging weeks before students return to classes. Hutchinson said he’s proposing keeping the rest of the mask mandate ban in place and did not plan to call …

Many Americans were looking forward to a carefree summer. But Covid measures are creeping back into our reality
3 years, 5 months ago

Many Americans were looking forward to a carefree summer. But Covid measures are creeping back into our reality

CNN  

CNN — Across America, there’s a grim sense of déjà vu. Pediatric physician’s assistant Amanda Knowles said she supported it because “we have a duty to protect our children who do not have the option to be vaccinated at this point.” In Missouri, the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County said that starting Monday, masks will be required …

Discover Related