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Update: Jamaal Bowman Issues Statement on Eric Adams’ Education Remarks on Virtual Learning

Brooklyn borough president and mayoral candidate, Eric Adams, speaks outside Tracey Towers in the Jerome Park section of the Bronx during a campaign rally on Sunday, June 6, 2021.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones.

In response to remarks about remote learning made by Brooklyn borough president and New York City mayoral candidate, Eric Adams, during a Citizen’s Budget Commission forum in February 2021, which were posted to Twitter on June 11, U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), himself, a former teacher, released a statement on Saturday, June 12, condemning the borough president’s remarks.

 

The tweet was posted under the Twitter handle for The Matt Skidmore Show. Under the YouTube channel for the The Matt Skidmore Show, it states that “Matt creates a video explaining why voters should consider 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate and former tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang as their choice for the next President of the United States.” It also includes other Yang-related content.

 

In the extract, Adams says, “By using the new technology of remote learning, you don’t need children to be in a school building with a number of teachers. It’s just the opposite. You could have one great teacher that’s in one of our specialized high schools to teach 3 to 400 students.”

(L to R) District 11 City Council candidate, Mino Lora, U.S. Rep Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), State Senator Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34) and State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) at a rally at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood on Saturday, June 12, 2021. City Comptroller candidate and Brooklyn Councilman, Brad Lander, was also present at the event. 
Image courtesy of MinofortheBronx campaign, via Twitter

In response, Bowman issued a statement saying, “This is dangerous. For a year, our kids have endured the trauma of remote learning without their peers, teachers, counselors or coaches. The learning loss, emotional & mental stress are well-documented, as is the depression. It’s unconscionable to make that the status quo for kids, but that’s what Eric Adams would do.”

 

He added, “It’s preposterous and insulting to say one teacher behind a screen can teach hundreds of kids. How will a teacher answer questions from 400 kids? How will a teacher give individualized attention to a child who needs it? Eric Adams needs to understand that our kids are not machines. They need attention and care, and that can’t happen through a screen.”

Bowman went on to say that New York City schools serve over one million children. “They need individualized care — especially those with special needs & English language learners,” he said.

 

“Maya Wiley understands that, which is why she will listen to students, hire more teachers, prioritize the arts, and implement trauma-informed care. Her vision is the exact opposite of Eric Adams, and it’s why she’s the leader our city deserves.”

 

Norwood News reached out to Adams’ campaign to ask the Brooklyn borough president to further explain his seemingly (from the extract) controversial remarks. His campaign referred us to a series of tweet responses, as attached.

 

A representative from fellow mayoral candidate, Andrew Yang, then tweeted the following:

 

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story stated that Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams made the remote learning comments on The Matt Skidmore Show on Friday, June 11, which was not the case. We apologize for this error.  

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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