In a council session in Korsze, Warmian‑Masurian Voivodeship, Mayor Jan Adamowicz proposed closing a local school and moving pupils to a poorer village, language about dress drew immediate backlash.
Mayor Proposes Relocation of Students to Rural School
During a council meeting in Korsze on 29 October, Mayor Jan Adamowicz suggested closing the elementary school in Sątocznie and moving its pupils to the village school in Łankiejmy, rejecting transfer to the town school.
Comment on Children’s Dress Sparks Controversy
Adamowicz stated that “clothes show that parents have no money,” arguing the visible difference between rural and town children and implying a social divide.
Local Officials and Residents Respond
Councilwoman Ilona Czekaj and other residents condemned the remarks, insisting that children should not be judged by appearance and that all belong to a single community.
Mayor Issues Apology and Reflects on Roots
Posting on a social‑media platform, Adamowicz apologized for the offensive comments, explained that his remarks were motivated by recalling his own rural upbringing and that he had seen pupils from villages attend city schools in the 1970s, and emphasized that he himself is a boy from the countryside.
He added that, in 1977, he attended a high school in Olsztyn and witnessed the social dynamics between city and village students, which drove his emotional reaction when explaining the transfer to Korsze.