Arizona's House and Senate voted unanimously on Thursday evening to take the pressure off public schools worried about making up lost days amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Both chambers unanimously passed a major proposal that would give schools that were ordered closed by Ducey to move to online or other alternative classes and free them from rules requiring testing and a minimum number of classroom days, among other provisions designed to give K-12 public schools flexibility.
The emergency decision also extends the assessment testing window through the month of May and allows students who were on track to graduate to remain eligible based on their grades to date.
Speaking to her fellow lawmakers, Rep. Michelle Udall asked everyone to step out of their comfort zones and figure out a way for students to keep learning.
"It's time to make sure our students know that — pandemic or not — that they matter to us even when our classroom doors are closed. That their learning matters to us, even when we can't be with them," she said.
Democrats and Republicans applauded Udall's efforts over the past 48 hours to craft the bill. It now heads to Gov. Doug Ducey and will immediately become law if he signs it.
