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How Another Year Of Pandemic School Is Impacting Arizona Students, Teachers And Parents

The start of the school year in Arizona has been challenging on a lot of fronts.

There are debates and arguments over mask mandates and vaccine requirements. Amid the continuing clash, Dr. Francisco García, Pima County's Health Department director, says masking up is essential in schools, and is the last line of defense for many students.

“Remember that those kids from 5 to 11, they have no choice on this vaccine issue. They are unvaccinated, they are sitting ducks," García said.  

García also says besides wearing masks, the best way to protect those children is making sure the rest of the family in contact with them are vaccinated. 

There have been positive cases of COVID-19 in schools, and some classes have had to quarantine. 

Meanwhile, teachers and students are trying to return some sense of normalcy to the classroom. 

To learn how all of this is going, The Show spoke with Christine Thompson, an education consultant in the Valley and a parent of school-aged kids.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.