To be eligible for the grant funding -- $163 million in total -- Arizona school districts must be open for in-person learning as of August 27 and must be "following all state laws," including the ban on school mask mandates that Ducey signed into law in June. Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged -- mandates that place more stress on students and families aren't," the governor said in a statement Tuesday. "These grants acknowledge efforts by schools and educators that are following state laws and keeping their classroom doors open for Arizona's students." Tuesday's announcement marks a notable escalation in Ducey's efforts to prohibit mask mandates in schools, even as public health experts have touted masks as an important mitigation measure while Covid-19 cases surge nationwide . A handful of Arizona districts have imposed mask mandates despite the state law that prohibits them, arguing that the ban cannot go into effect until mid-September at the earliest, making their current mandates legal.

Source: CNN August 18, 2021 02:26 UTC