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(PHOENIX) — The school year began on Monday in classrooms across the Phoenix Union High School District, and despite Arizona’s ban on mask mandates, students and staff were all wearing masks indoors in adherence to the district’s mitigation requirements.

On June 30, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law prohibiting mask mandates in Arizona schools. But since the signing, there has been a dramatic uptick in the number of COVID-19 infections across the country.

Arizona has seen its daily case average increase by 327% in the last month, and hospitalizations are now at their highest point since early February, with more than 1,400 patients currently receiving care, according to federal data.

Given the changing circumstances, several districts in Arizona are now opting to require masks, as recommended by the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for “localities to encourage universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.”

Dr. Chad Gestson, superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District, has vowed that he will do whatever he feels is best for the health and safety of his students and staff, including defying the governor’s orders, and thus requiring face coverings in classrooms.

“This decision — all decisions that we made — but this particular one is not about defiance. It’s ultimately about science,” Gestson told ABC News.

According to state law, the law prohibiting mask mandates will not go into effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session. Thus, the mask mandate will not formally begin until Sept. 29.

Following the updated recommendations from the CDC, Ducey reasserted his stance on banning masking in schools.

“Arizona does not allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports or discrimination in schools based on who is or isn’t vaccinated. We’ve passed all of this into law, and it will not change,” Ducey wrote in a statement on July 27. “The CDC today is recommending that we wear masks in school and indoors, regardless of our vaccination status. This is just another example of the Biden-Harris administration’s inability to effectively confront the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Gestson, who has led the Phoenix Union district high schools since 2015, explained that the decision was the result of concerns over high transmission, and the rapidly spreading coronavirus infections in the area, as he brought nearly 30,000 students back to in-person learning across the district.

“We made a commitment from day one, this was March of 2020, that we would do absolutely everything in our control, to protect our staff and our students and our families, and we made a commitment to our communities that we would be courageous,” he said.

With the emergence of the delta variant, he continued, the district became very concerned about the aggressive nature of the virus.

Gestson said he is fully aware of the legislation that bans masks mandates, and the potential litigation and public backlash that could follow the move.

However, he said, the decision was ultimately an easy one.

“Lives are at stake,” Gestson said. “We are bringing back 32,000 souls, and we had to weigh the implications and the consequences. Our people need us to protect them.”

One of the district’s teachers, Douglas Hester, has already filed a lawsuit against the district over the decision to mandate masks for students and faculty, asserting that it was “in violation of state law,” Health Freedom Defense Fund’s legal team, who is representing Hester, told ABC News in a statement.

“The power to legislate with respect to health issues is reserved to the states and no school district can decide to unilaterally implement rules which contradict the will and intent of the people’s elected representatives in the legislature,” the group wrote, ahead of a hearing planned for next week.

When asked about the lawsuit, Gestson declined to give details on the active litigation, but said that he felt “very comfortable” with the decision, both from a legal perspective and because, he asserts, “we made the right decision,” following the guidance of the CDC and other health professionals.

“If we get to the 29th, and the spread is still high or substantial, the recommendations from CDC and others still say that masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, are critical to the health and safety, then Phoenix Union is prepared, as always, to do whatever we need to protect our people and ultimately we’ll cross that bridge when we get there at late September,” Gestson said.

Educational experts have stressed that pandemic learning did not work for all students, and has also led to a dramatic surge in the number of students absent on a typical school day, regardless of whether remote learning is in place or not.

“Well over 90% of our students are back on campus,” Gestson said. “We don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we’re back in remote learning, which is why we are really clear that if the science teaches us how to mitigate the spread of COVID, we’re gonna follow that. And ultimately the decision that we made our mask as a part of that.”

Alongside masks, other mitigation strategies are also being implemented. Although social distancing is not always feasible among students in large high schools, other measures, such consistent disinfecting, ensuring that sick people stay home and good contact tracing protocols, have been put in place.

The No. 1 mitigation strategy, asserted Gestson, is vaccination.

Phoenix Union has taken the lead on hosting vaccination events, partnering with local pharmacies, and having drive-thru vaccinations in parking lots, Gestson noted. Over the summer, he said, gyms, cafeterias and auditoriums were also the sites of vaccinations for staff, parents and students older than 12, ultimately inoculating more than 10,000 people.

When asked how parents, staff and students in his district felt about the mask mandate, Gestson said that although they would prefer not to wear masks, they understand it is important if schools are to remain in person.

“I’ve heard from so many students who said, ‘Hey, I will wear this mask every day if that means I get to come to school every day.’ And I have not had any issues with compliance of our mask requirement,” said Gestson.

Gestson said he has heard from some parents who do not like the decision to require masks, but was happy with the “overwhelming support that we received from our staff, our students, our parents.” Parents, he said, understand that the reason behind for the masks is to protect their kids, and ultimately, they are “extremely appreciative, not just of this decision, but all the work that we’ve done over the last year and a half to really prioritize their safety.”

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(PLUMAS COUNTY, Calif.) — Eight people are missing as the Dixie Fire rages on in California, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Saturday.

“We are seeking the public and the media’s assistance is helping us locate the individuals so we can report back to their loved ones,” they said, adding that their investigation unit has already located 16 other individuals who were previously unaccounted for.

“We request if you know where any of these people are to contact them and have them call the Sheriff’s Office at 530-283-6300 to let us know they are safe, so we can report back to the person(s) looking for them,” the police said.

The names of the unaccounted for individuals are: Danny Sczenski of Greenville, Jesus and Ella Gursasola of Greenville, Matthew Henley of Greenville, Glen Gallagher of Greenville, Sally and Harold Brown of Crescent Mills and Donna Shelton of Chester, according to the statement.

The Dixie Fire has been burning near Feather River Canyon for weeks and has now scorched through more than 434,813 acres since it sparked on July 13.

It is 21% contained and is now considered the third largest fire in California history.

The downtown neighborhood of Greenville, about 150 miles northeast of Sacramento, has been hit the hardest by the out-of-control fire, with Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns saying Thursday that “well over 100 homes” and many businesses and historic building have been destroyed by the flames.

At least 31,000 people have been evacuated.

The fire “burnt down our entire downtown. Our historical buildings, families homes, small businesses, and our children’s schools are completely lost,” Plumas County Supervisor Kevin Goss wrote on Facebook.

It is one of 90 large wildfires, many of them uncontained, that are currently burning in the West.

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(ATLANTA) — Atlanta police have spoken with a jogger who they initially thought may have witnessed the stabbing death of a woman in Piedmont Park last week.

Police are ramping up the search for possible witnesses of the “gruesome” stabbing death of Katie Janness, 40, and her dog Bowie, who were killed on July 28.

Authorities shared photos Friday morning of a jogger who they said could have been a witness. Atlanta police told ABC News that as of Friday afternoon the man pictured “has come forward and is cooperating with investigators at this time.” He’s not a suspect at this time or accused of any wrongdoing, police added.

Atlanta police said late Friday the jogger had not witnessed the crime.

On Wednesday, APD released surveillance video and photos showing people in the area of Piedmont Park around the time Janness was murdered, asking for those people to come forward or for the public to identify them as possible witnesses.

Police were called to the crime scene around 1:10 a.m. after it was reported a person was being stabbed. Janness and her dog were found dead, each with multiple stab wounds.

Janness’ parter of seven years, Emma Clark, said Janness went to walk Bowie after dinner but never returned, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When she didn’t come home, Clark tracked her phone’s location and went to the park.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and on Friday they raised to $20,000 the reward for more information in solving the case.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms addressed concerns that the murder may be a sign there’s a killer on the loose targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

“I know there have been several rumors that there is a serial killer on the loose in the city,” she said. “We don’t have any evidence of that — also that this was a hate crime. As of now, we don’t have any proof of that as well.”

Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect in this case should contact 911 or Crime Stoppers Atlanta. Information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com.

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(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — dThe Florida Board of Education passed a rule Friday allowing parents in the state to skirt mask mandates that districts may enforce for their children.

The rule, passed unanimously at an emergency meeting, lets parents transfer their kids to a private school or another district if they experience “COVID-19 harassment,” including mask requirements.

According to the rule, these students would qualify for a Hope Scholarship, an existing program created to protect children who are bullied, assaulted, harassed or threatened in school.

The Florida Department of Health also announced a rule on Friday requiring school districts to allow parents to opt their children out of mask mandates.

Both rules were in response to an executive order issued last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which directed the state departments of education and health to enact measures to protect “parents’ rights … to make health care decisions for their minor children.”

Multiple districts this week defied the governor’s order by issuing mask mandates for their students, including northern Florida’s Alachua County, where schools have experienced a surge of COVID-19 cases among staff, including two recent deaths.

Leonetta McNealy, the chair of the Alachua County School Board, who told ABC News Thursday that the executive order was “appalling and absurd,” said Friday in a text message that the district will now allow parents to opt out of wearing masks by using the Hope Scholarship.

South Florida’s Broward County Public Schools, the other district to require masks for students, had not released updated guidance by Friday evening. The district said Wednesday that it was “awaiting further guidance” before updating its policy.

The debate around mask requirements comes as the delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc in Florida.

On Thursday, the Florida Hospital Association reported 12,500 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, marking a new pandemic high. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state is now reporting over 17,000 new cases per day. About 1 in 5 COVID cases diagnosed in the country are now in Florida, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) — A woman has been arrested in connection to the brutal beating of another woman who was attacked by a mob of ATV riders and dirt bikers in Providence, Rhode Island, police said in a statement Thursday.

On Thursday evening, Providence Police detectives apprehended Shyanne Boisvert, 24, of North Providence, “related to the assault that occurred on Valley Street on August 3,” the police department said.

Providence Police were notified of Boisvert’s whereabouts by the Cranston Police Department, when she reported to their station regarding an unrelated matter, they said.

Boisvert was charged with one count of simple assault and one count of disorderly conduct. She will soon appear in court.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

On Tuesday night, a mob of about 10 ATV and dirt bike riders in Providence allegedly pulled a woman out of her car and beat her.

According to a copy of the police report obtained by ABC News, the 35-year-old victim had honked her horn at the group after they failed to move through two green lights.

As she drove away, some of them opened the driver’s side door, pulled her out of the car and began beating her on the street, the report said.

The incident was captured on a cellphone video which was obtained by Providence ABC affiliate WLNE.

It’s unclear as of now what role Boisvert played in the assault.

The incident is just the latest in a string of violent crimes that have taken place in Providence this year.

Last Friday, Providence City Council President John Igliozzi sent a letter to Gov. Dan McKee requesting that Rhode Island State Police troopers be deployed to the city to assist police in confronting the crime wave. Igliozzi also pointed out the lack of staffing in the local police department.

“As you know, the headlines regarding crime in the city of Providence over the last few weeks have been shocking — murders, drive-by shootings, stabbings, gang incidents and roving throngs of ATV and dirt bike riders terrorizing our neighborhoods,” Igliozzi wrote. “This wave of violent crime is unacceptable, and we need to act immediately to restore public safety and make our city’s residents once again feel safe walking and sitting outside in their own neighborhoods.”

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(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 615,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 58.4% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

Here’s how the news is developing Friday. All times Eastern:

Aug 06, 7:42 am
United to require all US employees be vaccinated by September

All U.S.-based United employees will be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by September and must upload their vaccination card to the company website, the airline announced Friday. The move is the strongest vaccination requirement a U.S. airline has taken so far.

“For those employees who are already vaccinated — and for those employees who get vaccinated and upload their records to Flying Together before September 20th — we’ll offer an additional day of pay,” Scott Kirby and Brett Hart, the CEO and president of United, wrote in a memo to employees.

Employees will have until five weeks after Sept. 20 or five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration fully authorizes a COVID-19 vaccine to upload their cards. All three vaccines in the U.S. are currently being used under emergency use authorization.

Aug 06, 4:31 am
Tokyo sees 4,515 new positive cases

There are 4,515 new positive coronavirus cases in Tokyo as of Friday, according to the city’s COVID-19 information website.

It’s a 152.7% increase since last Friday.

Of the new cases, 141 are severe and four have turned fatal.

Aug 06, 1:53 am
There are now 387 positive cases at the Tokyo Olympics

As of Friday, there are 387 positive COVID-19 cases at the Tokyo Olympics, according to the Tokyo 2020 coronavirus positive case list.

This is an increase of 29 positive cases since Thursday.

All of the cases are either Tokyo 2020 contractors, Games-concerned personnel or media.

“Of the 726 U.S. Olympic delegates in Japan on Aug. 5, no COVID tests were confirmed positive based on daily results,” the International Olympic Committee tweeted.

Aug 05, 8:53 pm
Hawaii issues vaccine rules for state, county employees

Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced Thursday that all state and county employees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination by Aug. 16 — or be subject to weekly testing.

Those who don’t comply “could be subject to termination,” Ige said.

It is unclear how many state and county workers are already vaccinated.

The mandate comes as the number of cases and hospitalizations in the state are “trending up dramatically,” Ige said.

Maryland and Virginia announced similar measures earlier Thursday.

Aug 05, 4:12 pm
Delta ‘sweeping over Mississippi like a tsunami’: Official

Mississippi is facing “a phenomenal increase in daily reported cases of COVID, and this is entirely attributable to the delta variant, which is sweeping over Mississippi like a tsunami,” state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Thursday.

Dobbs said 97% of new cases are among the unvaccinated, and that 89% of hospitalizations and 85% of deaths are unvaccinated.

Dobbs pleaded with the public to get vaccinated, stressing that the unvaccinated population is driving the current surge, but that vulnerable, vaccinated people are suffering the fallout.

“There is going to be some collateral damage, unfortunately, even folks who’ve done everything they can to protect themselves,” Dobbs said.

“The minority of folks who are vaccinated and hospitalized are overrepresented by the older and those with weaker immune system, so we’re seeing a pretty dramatic spillover effect from the transmission in the community to more vulnerable parts of our population,” he said.

Aug 05, 3:51 pm
New state employee vaccination rules issued in Virginia, Maryland

In Virginia, all 120,000 state employees must be vaccinated by Sept. 1, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.

About 72% of employees are already vaccinated.

Anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated must get tested weekly, he said.

In Maryland, state employees at 48 state facilities must be vaccinated by Sept. 1, “or adhere to strict face covering requirements and submit to regular, ongoing COVID-19 testing,” Gov. Larry Hogan said.

The 48 facilities on the list include the Department of Health, Department of Juvenile Services, Department of Public Safety and Corrections and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Aug 05, 2:28 pm
Only 2 states not experiencing high or substantial community transmission

Nearly every state in the country is now experiencing case and hospitalization increases. Only two states — Vermont and Maine — are not reporting high or substantial community transmission, according to federal data.

The U.S. is now experiencing its steepest increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the winter. More than 61,000 patients are now hospitalized across the country with COVID-19, according to federal data. About one month ago, 12,000 patients were in U.S. hospitals.

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(PORTSMOUTH, Va.) — Police are on the hunt for several suspects after a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot in Virginia earlier this week, authorities said.

The Portsmouth Police Department released surveillance videos that capture the deadly shooting, which occurred Monday on Chowan Drive in Portsmouth, near Norfolk.

One video “depicts several suspects getting out of a black 4-door vehicle, shooting at the victim, and returning to the vehicle,” the department said Wednesday.

Police also shared a still of the car believed to be involved in the shooting.

Another surveillance video captured a barrage of shots that police say were fired at the victim.

Dozens of evidence markers were visible on the street at the crime scene following the shooting.

The 15-year-old victim was taken to a local hospital, where he later died of his injuries, according to Norfolk ABC affiliate WVEC.

Police did not share any further details on the shooting.

The boy is the fifth child under the age of 16 to be fatally shot in Portsmouth this year, according to WVEC.

Anyone with information is asked to call 757-393-8536.

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(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) — Police are investigating after a mob of ATV and dirt bike riders allegedly pulled a woman out of her car and beat her in a late-night attack in Providence, Rhode Island — the latest incident in what officials are saying is a spate of “out of control” violence.

The incident happened Tuesday night, officials from the mayor’s office said. Around 11:30 p.m., the 35-year-old victim had honked her horn at a group of ATV and dirt bike riders after they failed to move through two green lights, according to ABC Providence affiliate WLNE.

As she drove away, the group surrounded her car and several riders opened the driver’s side door, dragged her onto the street and began assaulting her, according to WLNE.

Cellphone video obtained by WLNE showed the woman on her knees in the street while an assailant repeatedly punched her.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said the woman was “shaken and injured” in the “awful incident.”

The ATV and dirt bike riders reportedly fled.

The victim hurt her head and knees but did not need to be hospitalized, according to the Providence Journal. The paper reported that the driver’s friend and the friend’s 8-year-old daughter were in the car at the time of the attack.

ABC News has reached out to the Providence Police Department for updates on the incident.

The assault is the latest in a string of violence that has plagued the capital city, including a drive-by shooting Sunday that fatally killed a 24-year-old woman, leading to calls for stronger enforcement.

On Friday, Providence City Council President John Igliozzi sent a letter to Gov. Dan McKee requesting that Rhode Island State Police troopers be deployed to the city to assist police in confronting the crime wave.

“As you know, the headlines regarding crime in the city of Providence over the last few weeks have been shocking — murders, drive-by shootings, stabbings, gang incidents and roving throngs of ATV and dirt bike riders terrorizing our neighborhoods,” Igliozzi wrote.

“This wave of violent crime is unacceptable, and we need to act immediately to restore public safety and make our city’s residents once again feel safe walking and sitting outside in their own neighborhoods,” the letter continued, which pointed to a lack of staffing in the police department as an issue.

“The gun violence, the physical attacks and reckless behavior of individuals in our city have resulted in grief, loss and fear in our community,” he said in a statement. “It is time for the city to take decisive action to put a stop to this senseless violence and better serve the people trying to make a home in the city of Providence.”

A meeting will be scheduled for early next week, Igliozzi said.

Providence officials have also been working for years to address people illegally riding ATVs on city streets, especially during the summer.

“We will continue to dedicate all our available resources to getting these illegal ATVs off our streets and to bring those responsible to justice,” Elorza said in a statement.

Police have seized and destroyed over 200 bikes since 2017, according to the mayor’s office.

“[We] will continue to pull over and arrest people who are using these bikes illegally,” the mayor said.

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(Sturgis, S.D.) — While a series of high-profile events have been canceled this week due to the looming threat posed by the delta variant, one that last year contributed to hundreds of COVID-19 cases will not.

South Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which begins Friday and runs through Aug. 15, is expected to draw upwards of 700,000 attendees. Last year’s rally, which took place during the height of the United States’ summer surge, had more than 400,000 estimated attendees, many of whom didn’t wear masks as they patronized bars, restaurants and concerts.

The downstream effect was tangible: At least 649 COVID-19 cases were linked to Sturgis, including secondary and third-degree contacts.

“The Sturgis rally had many characteristics of a superspreading event: large crowds, high intensity of contact between people, potential for highly infectious individuals traveling from hotspots, and events in poorly ventilated indoor environments,” a 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study concluded.

“Such mass events can result in the resurgence of COVID-19 in counties and states even after epidemic control has been achieved through local risk mitigation activities,” the authors wrote.

This year, the CDC has designated Meade County, where Sturgis is located, an area of “high community transmission.” The agency recommends that anyone residing in or visiting such an area wear a mask in public indoor spaces.

South Dakota’s vaccination rate also trails the national average. As of Thursday, 53% of residents had received at least one dose, and 47% were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, compared with 58% of and 50%, respectively, of all Americans.

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem supports the rally, a major economic driver in the state.

“There’s a risk associated with everything that we do in life,” Noem wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “Bikers get that better than anyone.”

“It’s been extremely busy compared to other years so far,” said Pete Gold, the owner of One-Eyed Jack’s Saloon, a Sturgis-based biker bar. He estimated that at least 100,000 people had arrived in town already.

“There’s not one single person here wearing a mask,” he added. “These people — bikers, Trump supporters, South Dakota Republicans — do not believe in it.”

Despite being unconcerned about COVID-19 or the delta variant, Gold said that he and his family got vaccinated because they want to travel internationally, including to Thailand, where he lives for part of the year.

“I suffered through two Pfizers,” he said. “I have a lot of countries I haven’t been to, so if I don’t get vaccinated, I can’t go.”

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(QUEEN CREEK, Ariz.) — An Arizona mom’s worst fear came true when her 5-year-old daughter tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks after her school year started.

Heidi Kim’s 5-year-old daughter, Irene, is in kindergarten and her 8-year-old daughter, Rosalind, is in third grade at EduPrize charter school in Queens Creek, Arizona.

Kim homeschooled both of her children during the 2020 school year due to Arizona’s high COVID-19 rates and to protect close friends and family that were high risk for COVID-19. This year, Kim and her husband made the decision to send their children to school on July 21 in hopes that a vaccine would soon be available for children and allow for Kim to return to work.

“I was really nervous about sending them back there, but I had hoped maybe in September they would be eligible for the vaccine,” Kim told “Good Morning America.” “I had hoped it would just be the month and a few extra weeks depending when it comes.”

Arizona is one of eight states that has banned mask mandates in classrooms. On June 30, 2021, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law prohibiting mask mandates in Arizona schools. Kim says EduPrize encouraged students to wear masks but due to state law cannot enforce it.

“I dropped them off at school and I just cried and not because of things that you should normally be feeling when you send your youngest kid off to kindergarten,” Kim said. “I cried because I felt like I was sending her into a petri dish.”

Kim said although masks were encouraged, there were only two other kindergartners wearing masks in her daughter’s class. In Rosalind’s third grade class there was only one other student.

“It’s incredibly frustrating because I think schools should absolutely be open. I don’t think that people should have to put their life on hold for a year and a half,” Kim said. “When we look at what public health is telling us, you look at the American Academy of Pediatrics, or the CDC, they’re all saying schools should be open. But also people who aren’t vaccinated should wear a mask.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reversed its mask guidance and recommended that schools embrace universal masks, backtracking on an earlier recommendation that vaccinated students and staff could go without masks indoors. Several Arizona districts have opted to make masks mandatory.

In addition, The American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of nearly 70,000 pediatricians, has also called for schools to enforce universal masking mandates.

“AAP recommends universal masking because a significant portion of the student population is not yet eligible for vaccines, and masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated,” the AAP wrote in a statement.

Two weeks after her first day of school, Kim noticed Irene was acting out of character. She would fall asleep doing everyday activities and soon she was running a 103 fever. Kim brought her to get a COVID-19 test and confirmed that the 5-year-old had contracted the virus.

“I’d like to be honest, I’m angry,” Kim said. “And of course I’m sad. And I feel guilty, because I had felt so conflicted about sending her back in the first place. And I never should have had to be in that position.”

Kim says since Irene tested positive for COVID-19 her other daughter has also started showing symptoms but has not yet received her results from the PCR test she took at her doctor’s office.

Arizona Public Schools Superintendent Kathy Hoffman weighed in on Arizona’s mask guidelines for schools in a statement to ABC News.

“It is heartbreaking to learn of a child being infected with COVID-19. It is equally as frustrating knowing that Arizona public schools have lost the authority to fully implement proven mitigation strategies recommended by public health experts like universal and correct use of masks,” Hoffman said. “In June, Governor Ducey signed a law prohibiting schools’ ability to implement mask requirements, undercutting local school authority. This action by Governor Ducey and the Legislature was reckless and short-sighted – and will result in more children testing positive for COVID-19.”

“I want kids in their classrooms because that is where the best learning happens – and until we are fully on the other side of this pandemic, we must take every necessary precaution to protect student health and safety in those classrooms and ensure minimal disruption to learning,” Hoffman continued. “We have serious work ahead of us to help students recover from the last two disrupted school years, all while keeping them safe, and we don’t have time for political games.”

After going through this with her children, Kim said she hopes that since schools in her state cannot mandate masks, more parents will put masks on their kids before they head into classrooms..

“It’s not hard to wear a mask and it does so much to protect the people around you,” Kim said. “I would really encourage parents to put their kids in a mask. And I would really encourage parents if they haven’t, to get vaccinated.”

“The more adults that are eligible to get the vaccine, the less community spread there will be. And the sooner these kids can get back to a normal life,” Kim said. “I understand that we want kids to have a normal school year, the best way we can do that is by sending them in a mask.”

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