Cheltenham says high school football hazing incident verified; now working to rebuild program

Cheltenham High School is making changes to its football program after an investigation into a locker room assault. The school shared the news in a letter sent home to the parents. Action News reporter Taronda Thomas is live at Cheltenham High. Taronda, the team already lost its football season. It did, and that was just the beginning. The entire program is being impacted by the results of this new investigation, which found that one student assaulted another as several others watched and even recorded it. The future of the Cheltenham High School football program in jeopardy after an investigation into reports of hazing and an assault. The external investigation shows a quote toxic and negative culture within the current football program. It all stems from a tip Cheltenham School District received last year about an assault involving a student in the football locker room. The investigation confirms that the student on student assault happened on September 3, 2025, and that quote approximately 19 students who witnessed the assault made no attempt to stop the event, some even taking video of it. Word of the incident is what caused the Cheltenham School District to suspend the football team season in October and cancel it in November, disappointing students and parents who spoke to Action News at the time. And it's really unfortunate. The investigation also found there was insufficient supervision of locker rooms by coaches and a failure to prioritize student safety. Investigators say coaching staff failed to talk to students about bullying or hazing and that there was a general lack of credibility on the part of many who were interviewed during the investigation. In this letter to parents, Cheltenham School District Superintendent Brian Scriven says the district is working to implement recommendations brought forth by the investigation. Those include an overhaul of the program with a new coaching staff, more student supervision and training for students and staff. While the investigation confirmed this hazing incident, it did not fully find a pattern of hazing. Still, with the findings of the investigation, next year's football season hangs in the balance. Again, those findings are the result of an external investigation. They're still the matter of an internal investigation, which could result in disciplinary action for the students that were involved. Now, I did speak with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office as well as the Cheltenham Township Police Department. Both of them confirmed to me that they are conducting their own investigations to determine whether criminal charges will be filed. We are live in Cheltenham, Taronda Thomas, Channel 6 Action News. So, we wait to see what happens next. Taronda, thank you.