Does this sound like Toronto?

Is political correctness also holding us back? This report is from the UK.

Schools are failing to tackle the growing problem of gangs in the classroom because they fear accusations of racism, according to a study.

The gang culture permeating schools is bringing drugs and stolen goods into the playground but is often going unchallenged, according to Dr Ikhlaq Din, a Bradford University researcher.

His findings, published in the latest edition of the Race Equality Teaching journal, follow a warning earlier this year by school inspectors that one in five secondary schools in England was concerned about "gang behaviour" among pupils.

Based on interviews with teenagers at three schools in Bradford, the West Yorkshire city that was the scene of race riots in 1995 and 2001, the study revealed that being part of a gang allowed pupils to do virtually "what they wanted" in front of other pupils and even teachers, whose authority was limited.

"Because the gang members are from a minority ethnic background, schools may be reluctant to deal with gangs for fear of accusations of racism," said Dr Din. "Schools host a hidden economy where illegal activities like selling drugs and stolen goods can be carried out away from the public gaze."