PHOENIX — Arizona’s top education official calls a new law signed by Governor Doug Ducey that bans school leaders from mandating strict mitigation measures "highly political."
Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman tells ABC15 she has reached out to the Arizona Department of Health Services for more clarity on the new law that has passed and what it means for guidance in schools.
“It’s very frustrating to have our lawmakers pass laws that are going against the science, and are tying the hands of our school leaders from doing what’s best to protect our kids and our teachers and causing more fear and uncertainty,” said Hoffman.
As of Tuesday morning, hundreds of parents and families have signed an online “letter of concern” asking the Arizona Department of Health Services to keep quarantine and mask regulations in place.
On Tuesday, the CDC reported the Delta variant now makes up about 83% of new COVID-19 cases across the United States.
TRACKING RISE IN ARIZONA COVID-19 CASES
To get a better understanding of COVID-19 case counts across the state, ABC15 looked at the top 10 zip codes for COVID-19 cases added since April 1.
Only one of the zip codes included in this list have been in the rankings since the start of the pandemic.
Zip code 85142 in Queen Creek has a total of 1,119 COVID-19 cases since April 1, and 9,385 since the start of the pandemic. The zip code area is part of the Queen Creek School District, which is set to return with a first day of school on Wednesday.
All ten zip codes are located in either Maricopa or Pinal county, with six of them being located in southeastern and western suburbs.
Take a look at the top 10 Arizona zip codes for COVID-19 cases since April 1 below.
- 85142 (Queen Creek, Maricopa County) – 1,119
- Median Household Income: $84,344
- Median Age: 33.9
- 85131 (Eloy, Pinal County) – 1,000
- Median Household Income: $38,142
- Median Age: 35.5
- 85383 (Peoria, Maricopa County) – 962
- Median Household Income: $112,701
- Median Age: 37.7
- 85281 (Tempe, Maricopa County) – 891
- Median Household Income: $35,682
- Median Age: 24.2
- 85204 (Mesa, Maricopa County) – 796
- Median Household Income: $50,801
- Median Age: 31.7
- 85122 (ELEVEN MILE, Pinal County) – 759
- Median Household Income: $48,289
- Median Age: 35.4
- 85225 (Chandler, Maricopa County) – 754
- Median Household Income: $61,078
- Median Age: 33.5
- 85326 (Buckeye, Maricopa County) – 741
- Median Household Income: $59,477
- Median Age: 32.2
- 85338 (Goodyear, Maricopa County) – 710
- Median Household Income: $74,517
- Median Age: 35.3
- 85345 (Peoria, Maricopa County) – 707
- Median Household Income: $51,726
- Median Age: 35.5