Mayor Eric Adams took office on January 1st, 2021, and immediately he has become a divisive topic in the Bronx Science hallways. His positions on eliminating remote learning options for public school students, increasing policing, and welfare, have left the students who do follow politics disappointed. 

For most, Adams’ decision to keep schools open while COVID-19 was surging with the Omicron variant in December 2021 and January 2022 caused frustration amongst some New Yorkers. In fact, on his very first week on the job, Adams left many students and teachers across New York City frustrated when he kept school open on a Friday as a snow storm hit the city and COVID-19 cases spiked. 

The reason for Adams’ decision was that the economy would suffer if schools were closed. 

Adams’ selection for New York City Schools Chancellor, David Banks, an educator who previously ran a charter school network, contributed to his unpopularity among students. People have criticized him for his proposals to institute Saturday classes and have all students enroll in summer school in order to make up for the loss in learning during the pandemic. 

For some students, Adams’ Republican past was a red flag. “He only became a Democrat in order to improve his chances in the election,” said Autumn Magar-Matsuoka ’25. Meanwhile, Manha Bulbul ’22 cited the controversy over whether he was even a New York City resident as raising doubts about his integrity. “That time that he called reporters into his Brooklyn home, which looked like it was really his son’s place, was problematic,” she said.

Other students mentioned that Adams’s past in the New York Police Department and his policing ideas seemed troublesome. “Isn’t he planning to bring back stop-and-frisk?” said Melanie Vasquez ’24, citing a policy that allowed police to stop and search people for any reason. It affected male Black and Latino youth more than any other group. “You would think after a year of bringing awareness to police brutality and holding Black Lives Matter protests, we wouldn’t go back to policies like stop-and-frisk,” she said. 

To be fair, many Bronx Science students barely noticed that the mayor had changed. “What difference does it really make?” said one sophomore, who did not wish to be named.

Overall the majority of Bronx Science seems to try to be on top of current events, especially when it affects them. Whether it is through traditional news outlets, social media, or simple word of mouth, students stay informed.

Mayor Eric Adams took office on January 1st, 2021, and immediately he has become a divisive topic in the Bronx Science hallways.