The Kyrene School District, which serves 26 schools in Maricopa County, put a mask mandate back in place Saturday after originally making masks optional for the spring semester.

Kyrene officials say the decision was made due to elevated community spread of COVID-19 within district boundaries. 

The district serves parts of Tempe, Chandler, Guadalupe and Phoenix.

The district says it is following new guidelines from the CDC and Maricopa County, which allows students to return to school sooner following isolation, but the new guidelines also require facial coverings.

Kyrene officials say the goal is still to make masks optional at some point during the school year, but want to prioritize keeping schools open for in-person learning during the current surge.

→ Get the latest news on COVID-19 in Arizona