Ducey Bars Colleges, Universities From Mandating Vaccines, Masks

PHOENIX, AZ — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order barring public universities and community colleges from requiring COVID-19 vaccines and masks to attend classes in-person.

The order came after Arizona State University's announcement that in-person classes would return in the fall with the expectation that all students would be vaccinated.

Arizona Rep. T.J. Shope released a screenshot on Twitter of the university's COVID-19 policies, which states that unvaccinated students that don't share their vaccination status with the university must submit to daily health checks, twice-weekly COVID-19 testing and must wear face coverings in all indoor and outdoor spaces on ASU's campus.

The document, which was sent to ASU students and parents from Dr. Joanne Vogel, who is the university's vice president of student services, lays out early on that its policy is to encourage students to get a vaccine, while not requiring them to do so.

"As we continue preparations for fall 2021, we are writing to remind you of the university's expectation that all students enrolled in an on-campus academic program for 2021-22 will be vaccinated," the letter reads.

In his tweet on Tuesday morning, Shope criticized ASU for its policy, saying it was nonsensical.

In a Twitter thread Tuesday, Ducey criticized the university for mandating vaccines and masks and not respecting students right to receive an education.

Ducey said the order is meant to preserve the public's right to learn in-person, after a year in which education was uprooted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The vaccine works, and we encourage Arizonans to take it. But it is a choice and we need to keep it that way,” said Ducey in a statement. “Public education is a public right, and taxpayers are paying for it. We need to make our public universities available for students to return to learning. They have already missed out on too much learning. From K-12 to higher education, Arizona is supporting in-person learning.”

Maricopa County Community College District Interim Chancellor Steve Gonzales released the following statement on the order:

"The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our primary concern as we prepare to welcome students back in the Fall. We continue to develop and enhance our plans to return to work and the classroom in the safest possible manner while adhering to the Governor's executive order."