Education: The Troublemakers (Contd.)

The isolation wards of the ruffian-troubled New York City school system—its two 700 schools—were back in the news last week, only a fortnight after they were set up to keep hard-to-handle kids off the streets, and embarrassing headlines out of the school officials' hair (TIME, March 17). The incident: at the Greenwich Village school, boys were lined up for a pre-class contraband check. Among ruled-out items: knives, cigarettes, matches (combs—which make effective face-slashers with the teeth broken out—may be banned next). One student, 15-year-old Charles McDougle, was out of line, refused to obey Teacher Edward Carpenter's command to get back in....