A Republican candidate for governor wants to give vouchers to parents who don’t want their children in public schools if masks are required, so they can instead send them to private or parochial schools at state expense.
Matt Salmon says he also wants Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to call a special legislative session to put the proposal in place now.
But the plan appears to have flaws, including that it would be virtually impossible to enact it before a legislatively approved ban on school mask mandates takes effect on Sept. 29, even assuming the votes were there.
There’s also the fact that an aide to Ducey, who also opposes mask mandates, declined to comment on the proposal.
A spokeswoman for Save Our Schools, a group that has successfully fought legislative proposals to expand vouchers in Arizona, accused Salmon of “weaponizing a public health crisis.’’
Salmon, who made his proposal Friday in a news release, declined to be interviewed about it unless he was given questions in advance.
Running second in the race for the GOP nomination in a recent poll, Salmon claimed in his written statement that school districts imposing mask mandates on children “are not only undermining confidence in the vaccine, but also hurting our children and interfering with students’ social development skills.’’
The Republican-controlled Legislature approved a new law forbidding schools from making the wearing of masks a condition for in-person instruction.
But that is being challenged in court, at least in part because the law is not effective until Sept. 29. Even after that, there may be legal arguments about its enforceability.
In the meantime, Salmon — a former state and federal lawmaker who has voted for vouchers — said the answer is giving parents options.
“Families across Arizona need to be able to vote with their feet if bureaucrats are seeking to score political points at the expense of our kids’ educational opportunities,’’ he said in his prepared statement.
The idea is not unique.
On Friday, the Florida State Board of Education agreed to provide vouchers to parents who contend a mask mandate at a public school amounts to harassment of children. That came after several districts in that state are defying a threat by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to cut funding for schools that insist students be masked.
Salmon’s proposal drew derision from Dawn Penich-Thacker, spokeswoman for Save Our Schools, which has successfully fought legislative efforts to expand vouchers in Arizona, including getting a public vote to overrule a proposal approved by GOP lawmakers.
“We already know that voucher pushers will exploit any perceived disadvantage or barely-relevant situation to forward their extremist goals of destroying public education and instead creating a pay-to-play education model,’’ Penich-Thacker said.
She also said the whole suggestion is “comical.’’
She pointed out that several private schools that accept vouchers, like Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, are requiring not only masks but also proof of COVID-19 vaccination. And in Tucson, Salpointe Catholic High School is mandating the use of masks on campus until the level of COVID spread is reduced, though it has no requirement for vaccination.
This isn’t Salmon’s first public stance against masks. His campaign said he left Arizona State University, where he headed the lobbying team, earlier this year after the school imposed a mask mandate with which he disagreed.
He is is among five GOP candidates each seeking to appeal to the conservative wing of the party as they run to succeed Ducey, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits.
A recent poll by OH Predictive Insights suggests former Phoenix TV anchor Kari Lake has a more favorable impression among Republicans than Salmon. And Lake already staked out an anti-mask position.
“They have no proof that masks slowed down COVID in Arizona but they will use any excuse to mandate them,’’ she wrote in a Twitter post earlier this week. Lake also posted a photo of herself using a torch to set fire to a mask.
Karrin Taylor Robson, a former regent, also opposes mask mandates.
“Children are not the problem when it comes to COVID-19,’’ she wrote in a Twitter post. “They should not be subjected to mask mandates, in schools or anywhere else. Let Arizona parents decide what is best for their kids.’’
Also in the hunt for the GOP nomination is businessman Steve Gaynor.
“I question the wisdom and health consequences of forcing children to wear masks for many hours as they attend school,’’ he said in a written statement. “But parents and students are free to make that choice.’’
Gaynor also said schools have other methods of minimizing virus transmission including physical distancing and enhanced ventilation in classrooms.
In her own prepared statement, Kimberly Yee said she is opposed to requiring students to wear masks to attend schools. She has a position somewhat similar to Salmon’s, albeit without the financial implications for the state.
“If parents don’t like what the school in their zip code is requiring with masks, they should enroll their child in a better school of their choice,’’ said Yee, who is trying to move up from her post as state treasurer to become governor.
The political stances come as an increasing number of Arizona school districts — there are now at least eight — have approved mask mandates for students and faculty, at least through Sept. 29, with many board members pointing out that their students younger than 12 are ineligible to be vaccinated.
It also comes as the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 2,926 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. That’s the highest number since Feb. 3, before the vaccine was generally available. The department also reports that 20% of beds in intensive care units are occupied by patients with COVID-19.
On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez and state Rep. Aaron Lieberman are running for governor.
