Teenager Accidentally Brings Knife To School, Turns It In, Apologizes, Gets Suspended

Who says honesty is the best policy? A 16-year-old Pittsburgh teen seemed to learn the opposite after turning in a knife that he accidentally brought to a football game.

David Schaffner III was fooling around in the woods with the knife before he came into the stadium, using it to “cut branches and whatnot” (read: He’s a teenager). He made his way to the game with the knife still in his pocket, but realized his mistake and turned the knife in to a security guard along with a note explaining his mistake.

After learning of the situation, the school’s principal kicked Schaffner out of the game and handed him a 10-day suspension.

Though his intentions were noble, Schaffner’s knife still put him under the broad and unforgiving zero-tolerance policies embraced by the Fox Chapel School District. If you missed the nation’s shift to zero-tolerance policies in schools growing up, essentially the rules are the rules regardless of context, so the principal technically doesn’t have a choice.

And because zero-tolerance policies often carry harsh punishments, Schaffner’s case will be reviewed for possible expulsion later this month. The family has hired a lawyer, who told KDKA that Schaffner’s punishment is “utterly ridiculous. I mean, what are we teaching our youth today? To not be honest, to not be open and forthcoming.”

“To me it sends a message,” said Schaffner’s own father, “that you probably shouldn’t be honest because you’re going to get punished.”

Do you think that Schaffner should be let off the hook, or are the rules just the rules?

[Image: Shutterstock]