Newsradio 1020 KDKA Editorial: Teachable Moment

It's called a "teachable moment." It's an unplanned event that can be used as a learning opportunity. It can be very effective – But sometimes educators miss them. Take – for example – what happened in the Fox Chapel School District. Sixteen year old David Schaffner is a sophomore there. He knows weapons are banned at school and school events. He was going to last weekend's football game – When he realized he'd forgotten to empty his pockets – and he had a knife. So David gave the knife to a security guard. He even wrote a note explaining what happened. He thought he'd done the right thing. But minutes later – a principal ordered David to leave the stadium. The following Monday – he was suspended from school for ten days. He almost had an expulsion hearing. That seems an incredible over-reaction to a minor incident. The simple fact is – David probably could have sat through that football game with a knife in his pocket – And no one would have been the wiser. But he didn't – because it was wrong. He made a mistake and acted to correct it. It was the perfect "teachable moment" – And David Schaffner got it – Unfortunately – the Fox Chapel School District didn't.