Other than healthcare workers, few groups have been challenged harder by the pandemic than students. With their health and welfare as the rationale, Gov. Doug Ducey started their exasperating cycle last March when he ordered every school in the state to temporarily close. For students, the âno problem, just a little breakâ took a dramatic turn two weeks later, when Ducey extended his order throughout the remainder of the school year. The âCOVID rollercoasterâ went into a series of high-speed dips and sudden turns during the fall, when classrooms opened as the pandemic declined â then snapped shut during a series of surges.