Biden administrator orders Arizona to stop using COVID aid for school anti-mask initiatives

The White House has ordered Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to stop using pandemic aid on scholarships reserved only for schools without a mask warrant. The two programs Ducey established in August were “not an authorized use” of resources allocated by the federal government, according to a letter from the Treasury Department. The Associated Press reports that the programs were created to pressure school districts that went against the state’s mask mandate ban. One, a $ 163 million grant, was only made available to schools without a warrant. The second, a $ 10 million initiative that resembles the state’s current private school grant program, offers vouchers worth up to $ 7,000 per student if their public school, among other conditions, requires masks or tells students to self-quarantine after exposure to COVID.

The letter directs the state to develop a plan to “remedy” the situation within 30 days. A spokesperson for Ducey called the request “puzzling”, saying their programs give “families in need the opportunity to access educational resources.” Arizona is one of at least eight states that ban mask requirements in public schools, contradicting CDC guidelines.