How New York’s Schoolchildren Got Their French Toast Sticks Back

Mayor Eric Adams has made plenty of unpopular budget cuts, but it was a mistake to mess with the French toast sticks.

The breakfast sticks with a side of syrup were one of the popular menu items at New York City public schools that suddenly disappeared earlier this year, along with chicken dumplings and bean burritos.

But nobody thought to ask the children, who quickly made their feelings known. On Wednesday, school officials reversed course, promising to quickly bring back those items and acknowledging that they had “heard from the kids loud and clear.”

The reversal was a major victory for students over meddling adults. It remains to be seen if they might next flex their political muscle by lobbying to bring back other items that vanished, like cookies and chicken drumsticks.

On Thursday outside Joseph Pulitzer middle school in Jackson Heights, Queens, a group of sixth graders jumped up and down and cheered upon hearing that some menu items would be returning.

“Let’s go,” said Dariel Genao, 12. “We’re about to have the best lunch.”

The menu changes had been disappointing, said Nameer Ahmed, 12.