Mask Mandates To Continue In Many Valley, Tucson School Districts

PHOENIX, AZ — Phoenix Union High, Tempe Union High, Scottsdale Unified and Tucson Unified school districts all extended their universal mask requirements after a judge on Monday struck down a state ban on mask mandates.

The ban was set to take effect Wednesday.

"We believe that continuing to require indoor masking will help keep our entire community safe," said Tempe Union Superintendent Kevin Mendivil in a letter to families Monday night.

Mendivil acknowledged in the letter that the court ruling would likely be appealed but said the district would continue in the meantime to require masking while indoors at all of its school buildings.

Like what you’re reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Phoenix newsletters and real-time email alerts. You can also invite friends to subscribe to newsletters and alerts in Scottsdale, Tempe and Tucson.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper's decision on Monday was in response to a challenge of the state ban on mask mandates by a group of educators, parents and children’s advocacy groups who said it was unconstitutional to put the ban in unrelated budget legislation. The ban was passed as part of a budget reconciliation bill.

Cooper ruled that portions of three budget reconciliation bills passed by the state Legislature in June were unconstitutional and struck down those portions of the bills, as well as the entirety of a fourth bill.

Scottsdale Unified told parents Monday night that it would also continue with mask requirements until at least two weeks after its fall break, set for Oct. 11-15. The Scottsdale Unified school board voted to give Superintendent Scott Menzel the authority, in consultation with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, to decide whether to maintain the district's mask requirements.

"We had certainly hoped to be in a different position with the pandemic by this point in time, but our community continues to struggle with it," Scottsdale Unified said in a letter to parents. "To lift the mask rule now is not prudent, nor does it 'follow the science.'"

Scottsdale Unified added that if the judge's decision is overturned, it will follow the law.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 within Scottsdale Unified dropped significantly after it implemented a masking requirement, according to the district. The number of on-campus students who tested positive at Scottsdale Unified schools dropped from 148 the week that its mask mandate began to 60 the following week. Confirmed cases within the schools have continued to drop since then, except for a slight increase the week after Labor Day. Since the start of the pandemic communities have tended to see an increase in cases in the weeks following a holiday, after people gather to celebrate.

Tucson Unified, whose governing board voted to continue mandatory masking last week, confirmed to parents and students that it would continue with the policy.

The decision to continue with a mask mandate was made, "in the spirit of public health and as a measure necessary to protect the students, staff, and community we serve," said Tucson Unified Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo in a letter to families.

Phoenix Union High was not a party to the suit challenging the mask mandate ban, but filed a brief with the court in support of the suit. The district praised the court's decision on Monday and said it would continue with its universal masking policy.

Many more districts in Arizona are continuing with universal mask mandates, following the ruling. Check with school or district officials for updated rules at your child's school.

Stay up to date by following Phoenix Patch on Facebook.