Arizona can’t use COVID money for anti-mask grants, feds say

By COLLIN BINKLEY
AP Education Writer

The Biden administration on Tuesday ordered Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to stop using the state’s federal pandemic funding on a pair of new education grants that can only be directed to schools without mask mandates. In a letter to Ducey, the Treasury Department said the grant programs are “not a permissible use” of the funding. Ducey, a Republican, created the grant programs in August to put pressure on school districts that have defied the state’s ban on mask mandates. The Treasury Department said the conditions “undermine evidence-based efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.” The governor’s office said it is reviewing the letter and plans to respond.