A Sept. 3 student-on-student assault in the Cheltenham football locker room may jeopardize the team’s 2026 season.
According to Cheltenham School District Superintendent Brian W. Scriven, an external investigation into the event — which 19 students witnessed — has concluded four months later.
Details on the nature of the assault are unclear, but Scriven said the bystanding students “made no attempt to stop the event, and several participated freely in it.” He continued, “Several students also filmed the assault.”
Cheltenham had canceled the final two games of the football team’s season and rescheduled the team’s senior night after the incident was reported to the school last fall.
The investigation revealed insufficient student supervision in the locker room by coaches, a failure to prioritize student safety by coaching staff, and the passive allowance of toxicity within the football program by both players and coaches. Though, the probe did not fully substantiate a pattern of hazing.
Moreover, while this investigation is finished, there are still several student-specific Title IX and disciplinary matters that are in progress — the outcome of which could impact those students’ ability to play football in the upcoming season and lead to further disciplinary consequences.
Scriven said that in the coming weeks and months, the district will be working with the team to implement the recommendations provided from the investigation. Such steps include identifying and hiring new coaching staff who are committed to leading student-athletes in a healthy manner, formalizing and strengthening student supervision and incident-reporting protocol, and creating new training materials for students and staff to ultimately contribute to a more positive culture.
As for the football team’s 2026 season, Scriven said it is “largely contingent on identifying, hiring, and onboarding the right coaching staff,” as well as the “cooperation of parents/guardians, students, and staff in doing their part to address the recommendations that will strengthen our program.”
The Cheltenham Township Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office will also continue to investigate this matter.
