Scottsdale Mayor, Jim Lane, has ordered the city's mask mandate to end. By Paul Maryniak and Wayne Schutsky, Progress News Staff, The ban deprives districts of a tool many relied on to help reduce, The issue came to a head at an SUSD school board meeting on May 18 when a group of unruly attendees including some Scottsdale parents as well as outside groups like the conservative Patriot Party of Arizona and Purple for Parents , Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Maricopa County Department Of Public Health. The mandates reversal comes as COVID-19 case numbers which had been on the decline could again be on the rise. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Court ruling helps keep Scottsdale mask mandate in place. Chance of rain 100%. DHS did not respond to a request for comment. Please note that yesterdays order did not address the mitigation efforts that are required by public and charter schools and did nothing to undo what we, as a school district are required to dowith regard to wearing face masks by students and staff while at school, read a letter to parents by Scottsdale Unified School District on March 26. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. The data showed that new cases per 100,000 residents nearly doubled from 33 to 60 from the end of June to the beginning of July. New Mayor David Ortega wasted little or anything. It is irresponsible ofthe stategovernmenttostand in the way of local leaders making decisions that protect the health and safety of their students and staff. Use the 'Report' link on This will cause problems in the fall with the Legislature out of session., While the measure does not proscribe penalties for entities that violate the ban on mask mandates, it was denounced by former state health director Will Humble, executive director for the Arizona Public Health Association, who called the measure stupid., Its harmful, its ill-advised. 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 not students are on the bus.. Rates are lower for other cities that feed into SUSD, including Tempe, where 48.7 percent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated slightly higher than Phoenixs 45.4 percent, according to data released last week by the county. But data released last week show case numbers are on the rise within SUSD boundaries, and the county upgraded the area from moderate to substantial transmission. Threats of harming another As of Wednesday, more than 2,000 Scottsdale Unified students were stuck at home because they tested positive for the virus or were a close contact of someone who tested positive. "Unless the laws challenged in this case are declared unconstitutional and enjoined, a great many children in Arizona will get COVID-19, they will get sick, they will suffer from long COVID, they will be hospitalized, and they may die,'' Roopali Desai told Cooper. Don't Threaten. Solem trusted that the district would follow through on what she said were multiple promises it made over the summer to ensure that masks would be optional. They know its harmful they being (state health) director Cara Christ and Governor Ducey. Share with Us. Rain. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lane signed an emergency proclamation on June 18 requiring mask usage in public spaces where social distancing cannot be maintained, including grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and bars, gyms, shops, special events and public transit. Why is @ScottsdaleUSD insistent on pushing the socialist agenda of the @JoeBiden administration wrote Ugenti-Rita. That says that were at the very minimum stabilized; I think well have to keep watching it to see if that becomes a solid upward trend, he added. person will not be tolerated. So far, the district has seen 95 positive cases on its campuses. Ugenti-Rita accused SUSD of siding with the Biden Administration and socialism by imposing an unauthorized mask mandate. The move followed the governors decision in April to rescindthe order mandating masks in schools. SCOTTSDALE, AZ Scottsdale Unified students will have to don face masks at school, beginning Aug. 20. Parents opposing mask mandates bombard school districts with sham legal claims Feb. 21, 202202:35 The parents claims were baseless. Maricopa County is expected to vote on whether to extend their mandate on Oct. 7. On March 25, 2021, Arizonas governor allowed all businesses to resume normal operations, including hotels, restaurants, bars and attractions. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. They feel like a promise has been broken.. Be Nice. As they have been throughout the country, the districts mask mandate was a polarizing subject in the community. Ditto, Desai said, of provisions she is challenging that were tucked into various measures, like one that bars colleges and universities from imposing vaccine requirements as a condition to attend classes, prohibits the establishment of a "vaccine passport,'' and bars the teaching of anything in public schools "that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex.''. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Be Truthful. This latest announcement comes on the heels of another controversial act undertaken by SUSD. Periods of rain early. Monday's ruling does more than void the challenged sections of the laws. But he said Ducey should have left the mandates in place for another six to eight weeks, at least until a larger percentage of young people are vaccinated because they are transmitting it to others who are dying.. Republican Rep. Joseph Chaplik, sponsor of HB 2770, said it would give businesses the choice of whether to enforce the mandates many communities already have adopted and that said consumers then would have the option of deciding if they want to do business there. Thats why Experience Scottsdale is committed to providing you with accurate information about the health and safety measures in place within our community. The legislation prohibited schools from requiring masks during school hours Use the 'Report' link on When considering only those age 18 and older, that number in Arizona rose to 62.2 percent, according to an analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Threats of harming another mask mandates Photo Courtesy of YouTube Oct 3, 2021 0 Parents and others jammed the meeting room for Scottsdale Unified Governing Boards meeting Sept. 28, Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Behavior in public affects everyonewhen you wear a mask, if the other people are not wearing masks, youre certainly at higher risk of getting infected than if both parties are wearing masks, he said. Which states have mask mandates?CaliforniaHawaiiIllinoisNevadaNew MexicoNew YorkOregonWashington Governor Doug Ducey rescinded local mask mandates in March, but masks will still be required in schools and City of Scottsdale buildings and facilities, including the citys libraries. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. All Inclusive! Our seven-day trailing average has increased a little bit, said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State Universitys Biodesign Institute. Businesses will stay open. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Police Search For Murder Suspect + Students Ill, Pesticide Contact, Local Dive With 'Killer Pizza' + Ukraine Refugees Reflect On Move, Tesla Crashes & Catches Fire Twice In Scottsdale + New Memorial, Social Security Seminar on March 8th and 9th at Eagles Community Center. or anything. "It's just a behavior we have to change and try and stay safe.". COVID-19 Testing Get tested if youre feeling sick or have been exposed to the virus at free sites throughout the Scottsdale area. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Use the 'Report' link on Scottsdale lawmaker: Masks werent needed for AIDS, By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services. "We were really disappointed by this decision. Her older two children wore masks while attending district schools last year, and they don't want to go back, she said. You have permission to edit this article. Never miss an issue. accounts, the history behind an article. Low near 40F. HonorHealth says hospitalizations now are at a manageable level in part because of masking up, and they hope residents will keep it up. Rain. Low near 40F. High 61F. "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. Rep. Randall Friese, D-Tucson, who is a physician, said masks are part of the very basic, important tools, along with hand washing and social distancing, to curb the spread. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Charity Miller, who lives in Scottsdale, but whose children don't attend district schools, said that she took part in the protest Tuesday night because she thinks that wearing masks is dangerous for all children, not just her own. Independent Living for Seniors: Estrella Estates NEW LISTING! Its worth remembering that a quarter of the people who died in Arizona were not 65-plus and over; in fact, they were middle-aged and younger, he said. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed an appeal to uphold four bills that were also shot down in the ruling of the state's attempted ban on mask mandates. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Rain. Tuesday's public hearing was on an instructional model that would make it possible for quarantined or sick students to learn from home without being counted absent. Those strategies include hand washing, extra cleaning and keeping kids home if they are ill. I think that those are very appropriate and responsible things to do, Solem said. Despite that, some did get sick, forcing the closure of the store. Keep it Clean. The district counters in its statement to parents and staff that most of the district's ZIP codes are in the 'substantial' transmission category. Doug Ducey June 30. Scottsdale Unified required masks right up to the end of the school year. Scottsdale became one of the first cities in the state to act on that authority He said the district will continue to implement other mitigation measures and stay in communication with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Students will be able to attend school. 28,961 were here. Her family plans to look for a private or charter school that doesn't require masks. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience possible. Follow her on Twitter, @CorinneMurdock or email tips to corinnejournalist@gmail.com. LaBaer also noted that young people, though not in the same risk category as the elderly, are still vulnerable. Maricopa County supervisors adopted a similar mandate countywide the next day. Low near 40F. While both the Maricopa County and Scottsdale mandates require individuals to wear masks in most public spaces, the orders differ in enforcement. They wanted to flex their muscles and so they made sure that that was put into the budget reconciliation bill and now districts and parents are going to have to live with it.. Sign up for free today. The mask mandate ban was sponsored by Kingman Republican Rep. and dentist Regina Cobb, who represents the district that includes Lake Havasu. Last week, the district sent home 150 symptomatic students. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. What is illegal, she said, was piling them into just four separate so-called "budget reconciliation'' bills, each with what she said are broad, generic titles that fail to inform voters of the changes they enact. But Osborne, who provided the crucial -- and required -- 31st vote for the measure, said she had to side with her colleagues. We'd love to hear eyewitness Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, The Scottsdale Unified School Board voted 4-1 to implement a mask mandate for its 28 school campuses and district facilities after a more than three-hour Both Kyrene and Tempe Union announced they will keep theirs in place as well. Consider the bill to prohibit what has incorrectly been called "critical race theory'' having to do with how teachers can deal with issues of race, sex or ethnicity. Mask mandates are a textbook example of the government ensuring one of its fundamental purposes, which is guarding the public health and safety, Rodriguez said. Share with Us. 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