Masks Required at Maricopa County Community Colleges

PHOENIX, AZ — In a move that follows a trend by local education institutions, the Maricopa County Community College District announced Thursday that it reinstated its mask requirement. The district will require face coverings indoors at all 10 of its community colleges and offices.

“The Maricopa Community Colleges’ goal throughout the pandemic has been to protect our community’s health and wellbeing,” said the district's interim chancellor, Steven R. Gonzales, in a news release. “Requiring our students, faculty, and staff to wear face coverings is another step in the right direction for our Colleges to begin the fall semester safely. I want to thank our employees and students who have continued the hard work of keeping themselves and our Maricopa community safe.”

Arizona State University updated it mask policy on Wednesday to require face coverings inside classrooms, labs and other settings where physical distancing isn't possible.

The community colleges' mask requirement does not violate Gov. Doug Ducey's executive order because the district will require masks for all students, the college said in a news release. The governor's order bans mask mandates by public higher education institutions only if the mandates are based on vaccination status.

As part of its budget bill, the state Legislature in June passed a provision banning public school districts from imposing mask requirements. The budget bill doesn't go into effect until Sept. 29, but Republican legislators have said the mask provision is retroactive.

So far, 10 Arizona school districts have implemented mask requirements, including eight in the Phoenix metro area, The Arizona Republic reported.

On Wednesday, 26 Republican state legislators asked Ducey to withhold federal funding from schools that implemented mask requirements.

"It borders on anarchy and destabilizes the very foundation of our society to have local governments effectively refusing to comply with the law," said state Rep. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) in a news release signed by himself and the 25 other legislators. "It must not be allowed to stand. Any local government that willfully and intentionally flaunts state law must be held accountable."