Poll of likely Arizona voters shows widespread support for masks in schools
Sep 13, 2021, 4:45 AM
FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, file photo, students, some wearing protective masks, arrive for the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School in Riverview, Fla. The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday, Sept. 10, that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay two days ago that halted enforcement of the mask mandate ban. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
PHOENIX — A new statewide survey of likely Arizona voters has found there is widespread support for masks in schools.
The survey showed 59% are against a new state law going into effect Sept. 29 that prohibits mask mandates in schools. Another 57% said they believe masks should be required inside local government and school facilities.
“The data confirms the conversations that we have with parents as we’re teaching,” Marisol Garcia, vice president of the Arizona Education Association, told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “Everyone wants to keep their kids safe, and we want to use everything in our tool belt to do so.”
The Arizona School Boards Association and the Arizona Public Health Association funded the survey. Both groups have been critical of the state legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey’s push to ban mask mandates in schools.
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ASBA is also part of a group challenging the Arizona law that bars schools from requiring masks.
The survey also found just over half of likely Arizona voters believe local governments, school districts and charter schools should be able to determine their own mask rules and to ask for proof of vaccination for employers to keep their job or return to work in person.
A bigger share of likely voters – nearly 62 percent – said they disagree with Ducey’s decision to offer grant funding only to school districts and charters that remain open for in-person instruction and follow the Arizona law banning masks mandates once it goes into effect.
A total of 400 people responded to the survey on Aug. 30 and 31.
Read the full survey findings here.
