“We’ve never been taught how to breathe,” Mayor Eric Adams claimed Tuesday, as he mandated two to five minutes of “mindful breathing” per day for all K-12 students next year.

But the mayor should save his oxygen for the real crisis in our schools — our children are not being taught how to read, if they’re even showing up to class at all.

On New York’s own 3rd-8th grade state assessments, less than half of students scored proficient in English Language Arts or Math last year.

Looking at how many students are actually attending classes, it’s not difficult to understand why.

The announcement ironically came on the last day of classes for the 2022-23 school year — a year in which more than half of NYC seniors were chronically absent.

Read the full piece in the New York Post.

About the Author

Tim Hoefer

Tim Hoefer is president & CEO of the Empire Center for Public Policy.

Read more by Tim Hoefer

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