PHOENIX, AZ – On Friday, as Gov. Doug Ducey was announcing that there will be no mask mandate for businesses and schools, Scottsdale Unified advised parents that it would be requiring masks on children on busses. The news outraged lawmakers and parents alike.
“We will not be listening to the lockdown lobby. Businesses will stay open,” said Ducey in a statement. “Students will be able to attend school. There will be no mask mandates. We have a proven solution with the vaccine.”
In a letter to parents dated July 23, 2021, District officials told parents:
Beginning on May 14, 2021, SUSD communicated that masks will be optional for the upcoming school year. While some have urged us to consider mandating them for those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, state law prohibits any school district from implementing a mask mandate as a condition of participating in in-person instruction. Consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MCDPH, the district is strongly recommending that those who are not vaccinated wear masks while indoors.
However, there is an order by the CDC that requires masks to be worn on public transportation. This order supersedes state law and must be followed by the school district. There was a specific question regarding whether it applied to school buses, and as you will see below, the CDC confirmed that the order applies to school buses, whether they are operated by the district or by a private provider. SUSD will be complying with this federal requirement. Students who choose to ride the bus, along with SUSD bus drivers, will be required to wear masks while on the bus. Students are not required to wear masks while waiting at a bus stop or after they disembark, and drivers are not required to wear masks if no students are on the bus.
Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita claimed the District, which has been steeped in controversy of late, of “insisting on pushing the socialist agenda of Joe Biden administration … If there ever was a better argument for school choice the Democrats are making it now! #LeaveOurKidsAlone”
With educators and other school workers having been eligible to receive vaccines almost a soon as they became available and the fact that there is no evidence that children are “super spreaders,” it is unclear why students would be required to wear asks on public transportation.
It is also unclear if the CDC’s has any control over local school busses. In fact, just last month, the governor signed a law, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Chaplik, that prohibits school districts and charters from requiring masks during school hours on school property even if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus.