Joe prepares for his first day as the new principal of Benjamin Harrison High School, but not before agreeing to undergo marriage counseling with his wife, Carol. Mary Caitlin's motorcycle is stolen by a punk, who rides it right out of the school. Joe overhears that the previous principal had a nervous breakdown. Gus, believing Jack is to be promoted to principal, tries unsuccessfully to persuade Jack to let him teach science. Jack believes it himself and begins preparing for his new duties before finding out the bad news. After observing things, Joe concludes that most of the school's problems can be attributed to the teachers, so he holds a faculty meeting and threatens the others to do their jobs -- or else. A board official, Connie, warns Joe that the complaints are racking up against him and he should keep a lower profile. Joe doesn't listen, and continues to tick off the faculty members with his ""improvements,"" then stirs up the hornet's nest by assigning Harry and Sara to work o

Mary Caitlin's conscience is weighed upon after a professor, Mr. Gianelli, confesses a secret to her shortly before he dies of a heart attack - a secret he wants her to tell his wife. One of the students, Eddie, is hounded by another classmate over his perceived homosexuality. Donna, an unwed mother who brings her child to school, is going through a crisis.

Matthew arrives at Benjamin Harrison as a sub, inexperienced and unaware of what he's in for. Fed up with a lack of chalk and erasers, Sara keeps pressing for her transfer to another school -- one that's willing to pay for school supplies. Harry tries to help a failing gang leader, Julio, whom he wants to see get into college, but Jack's refusal to change Julio's history grade -- and Julio's not wanting it to be changed -- stand between them. Joe fights tooth and nail to prevent Benjamin Harrison's day care center from being shut down when the conservative school board decides that it glamorizes -- and encourages -- teen pregnancy. Matthew tries to teach, but the students just laugh at him and walk out of his classes... even after he follows Gus' advice on how to get them to stay. Sara demands Joe sign her transfer after a student swipes her copy of ""David Copperfield"" and refuses to return it. Like Sara, Matthew threatens to quit himself when the students turn him into an impromptu da

Benjamin Harrison's decision to hand out free condoms causes a media uproar to the already tense situations -- one that puts Mary Caitlin at odds with the church. Donna is harrassed by an unstable former boyfriend after telling him he is not the father of her child.

Joe makes faculty members take aptitude tests that they must pass in order to continue teaching -- and makes no secret of the fact that he hopes Mr. Kaczmarek will flunk it; Harry's friendship with another professor, Charlie, is jeopardized when Charlie confesses to Harry that the only reason he passed an earlier aptitude test was because he cheated; and Roz struggles to learn how to read.