Treasury Department Warns Arizona Governor Over Using Federal Covid Funds For School Anti-Mask Programs

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Gov. Doug Ducey announced over the summer that Arizona would use federal money to increase funding available to public school districts only if they are open to in-person learning and do not require that children wear masks.
To be eligible for this grant – totaling $ 163 million – Arizona school districts must have opened their doors to in-person learning since August 27 and must “follow all laws of the United States. State ”, including the ban on the school mask warrants to which Ducey has signed. law in June. A separate grant program provides money to students attending schools requiring masks, allowing them to use it for education expenses like transportation and tuition at another school.

In a letter to Ducey on Tuesday, Assistant Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo expressed concern over the creation of these two programs, which are being funded by US bailout relief dollars.

“We are concerned that two recently established Arizona grant programs may undermine evidence-based efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Adeyemo wrote.

CNN has contacted the Arizona governor’s office for comment.

The warning comes as Ducey has worked to ban mask warrants in schools, even as public health experts have promoted the masks as an important mitigation measure amid the pandemic.

As CNN previously reported, a state ban on mask warrants in public and charter schools was to become law, but a Maricopa County judge ruled the ban unconstitutional last week. Ducey called the decision an “example of judicial overrun” and pledged to challenge the decision.
Florida is the only state not to submit a back-up funding plan for the Covid-19 school, according to the US Department of Education

In Tuesday’s letter, Adeyemo notes that the goal of state and local stimulus funds is to “mitigate the fiscal effects arising from the COVID-19 public health emergency, including by supporting efforts to stop the spread of the disease. virus”.

“A program or service that imposes conditions of participation or acceptance of the service that would undermine efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 or discourage adherence to evidence-based solutions to stop the spread of COVID-19 n “is not an authorized use” of these funds, added the official of the Treasury.

Arizona has 30 business days to respond to the letter with information on how it “will resolve the issues identified with the two programs,” Adeyemo said, adding that failure to respond or resolve the issues could result in the potential loss of funds.

CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.

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