Cheltenham High football program faces overhaul after investigation confirms locker room assault

CHELTENHAM, Pa. (WPVI) -- Cheltenham High School is making sweeping changes to its football program after an external investigation confirmed a locker room assault involving students and found what investigators described as a "toxic and negative culture within the current football program."

The school district announced the findings in a letter sent to parents, months after the football team's season was first suspended in October and later canceled in November.

Officials said the investigation determined that one student assaulted another in the football locker room while several other students watched and recorded the incident.

According to the report, the assault occurred on September 3, 2025. Investigators wrote that "approximately 19 students who witnessed the assault made no attempt to stop the event," and some took video of the attack. The district had received a tip about the incident "last year," prompting the investigation.

The report also found insufficient supervision of locker rooms by coaches and a failure to prioritize student safety.

Investigators said the coaching staff failed to talk to students about bullying or hazing and noted a "general lack of credibility" among many individuals interviewed.

In the letter to families, Superintendent Brian Scriven said the district is working to implement recommendations brought forth by the investigation. Those steps include overhauling the football program, hiring a new coaching staff, increasing student supervision, and providing training for both students and staff.

While the investigation confirmed the hazing incident, it did not fully identify a broader pattern of hazing. Still, officials said the future of next school year's football season hangs in the balance.

An internal investigation is still underway and could lead to disciplinary action for students involved in the assault.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and the Cheltenham Township Police Department also confirmed they both have ongoing active investigations to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.

Full letter from Superintendent Scriven:

Dear Cheltenham Community -

I'm writing today to update you on the situation with the Cheltenham High School Football program. At this time, the district's external hazing investigation has been completed. The external investigation confirmed that the previously reported student-on-student assault did, in fact, take place in the football locker room on September 3, 2025, and that approximately 19 students who witnessed the assault made no attempt to stop the event, and several participated freely in it. Several students also filmed the assault.

In addition, the external investigation revealed the following: insufficient student supervision in the locker room by the coaching staff; a failure to prioritize student safety by the coaching staff and/or adult volunteers; failure of the coaching staff to speak to the students about anti-bullying and hazing; a general lack of credibility on the part of many of those interviewed during the investigatory process; and a toxic and negative culture within the current football program. The investigation did not, however, fully substantiate a pattern of hazing.

A number of recommendations were made as to steps the district should take in order to overhaul the football program before it resumes in the future. In the coming weeks and months, the district will be working diligently to implement the recommendations from the external investigation and rebuilding the Cheltenham High School Football program. Some of the initial steps that the district will be taking will include identifying and hiring new, highly qualified coaching staff who demonstrate a strong commitment to leading student-athletes in a positive and responsible manner, formalizing and strengthening student supervision and incident-reporting protocol, and obtaining or creating training materials for students and staff to communicate and exhibit standards of conduct for student-athletes.

Having a 2026 season is largely contingent on identifying, hiring, and onboarding the right coaching staff, and on the cooperation of parents/guardians, students, and staff in doing their part to address the recommendations that will strengthen our program. Those students who were not involved in this situation are especially important to rebuilding the culture of our program. If all of these conditions are met, the district will stand up a football team for the 2026 season.

While the external hazing investigation has been completed, there are still several student-specific Title IX and disciplinary matters that are in progress. The outcome of these student-specific matters could impact the eligibility of certain individual students to play football in the upcoming season and lead to additional individual disciplinary consequences.

The Cheltenham Township Police Department and Montgomery County District Attorney's Office also continue to investigate this matter, and the outcome of their investigation may similarly have an impact on those individuals involved in the assault and the circumstances that led to it.

We will continue to keep the community informed as we receive additional information.
Sincerely,

Dr. Brian W. Scriven

Superintendent of Schools