President Joe Biden called school district superintendents in Arizona and Florida this week to praise them for implementing mask requirements, despite laws banning mask mandates put in place by the states’ governors.
The White House said in a statement Saturday that Biden spoke to Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson.
Phoenix Union is one of Arizona’s largest school districts with about 28,000 students and 4,000 employees.
The Arizona legislation that includes the prohibition on mask-wearing mandates by districts takes effect Sept. 29.
It includes a clause making it retroactive to July 1, but Phoenix Union contends the rule isn’t binding until September.
This week, the state’s largest teachers union and other plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the ban on mask mandates, which was included in this year’s state budget.
