Suspended Teen Caught In Firestorm After Turning In Hunting Knife

GLENSHAW (KDKA) -- He's a young man caught in a firestorm, but is standing by what his father always taught him.

"He always tells me, 'If you don't have your word, you don't have anything.' That's what I tried to do here," said David Schaffner III, of Fox Chapel High School.

What he did happened at the high school football field in Fox Chapel last Friday night.

David had been in the woods where he used his hunting knife. He was dropped off at the football game, realized he had the knife and walked right up to a security guard and gave him the knife.

"He put it on the table next to him, said I could go into the game and he'd get me later on," said David.

He was grabbed by the principal within minutes, thrown out of the game and suspended from school Monday morning for 10 days.

"It just kind of blew me back," said David. "I was thinking back to what I did, it wasn't adding up to me. I didn't know what to think."

The Fox Chapel School District released this statement: "Weapons in schools and on school grounds can lead to accidents and situations that place student safety in jeopardy. When there is a weapon on school property, we must follow the steps that are required by law. The Fox Chapel Area School District remains committed to protecting the safety of all students and staff members."

David is now facing an upcoming expulsion hearing.

"He never had any intent to do anything, so why expel him?" said David's father. "Because that's what they do."

For the Fox Chapel sophomore, regardless of the controversy, he'd do it all again.

"I don't think one policy that I don't agree with is going to ruin me from being honest," he said. "All I want to do is go back to school."

David sat down with Marty Griffin on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA recently as well. Hear the interview below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

RELATED LINKS:
Family: Teen Suspended After Trying To Do The Right Thing (9/16/13)
More Reports by Marty Griffin

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