Parents grill Cheltenham school board after football hazing scandal: "People are angry"
Parents in the Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, school district spoke out at a school board meeting Tuesday night in the wake of a hazing investigation into the high school football program.
Late last month, 10 people, including four coaches, were charged in connection with the locker room assault of a 15-year-old student. Prosecutors alleged coaches failed to report and attempted to cover up the assault.
As the controversy has embroiled the district, Superintendent Brian Scriven resigned last week, saying Cheltenham schools would be "best served by a fresh start under new leadership."
Board President Leah Mulhearn told parents the district intends to name Chris McGinley, who has previously served in the district, as interim superintendent. A special meeting will be held next week to vote on McGinley's contract.
The board meeting lasted more than two hours with several parents voicing their concerns.
"People are angry, they have every right to be," one parent said.
"Clearly you don't care about safety, clearly you don't care about hiring people that are capable," another parent said.
"Half our parents don't want to wear anything that says Cheltenham on it. Because they're embarrassed. They don't wanna go out into the public advertising that they are from our district," a third parent said.
Mulhearn addressed the controversy at the beginning of the meeting, saying that the events "have breached the public trust, and we are deeply sorry for the pain and frustration that has occurred."
"We must take action, first and foremost, to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again in our schools," Mulhearn added. "Football will not return until we address this, no matter how long it takes."
A common concern among parents who spoke Tuesday night was hiring practices and background checks.
The board also announced it had retained a York, Pennsylvania, attorney to conduct an independent review of the district's policies and issue a report within 60 days. The district will also assess all of its sports programs.
Cheltenham has not played a full season of football since 2024. The district canceled the remainder of the 2025 season, and also canceled the entire 2026 football season because of the investigation.
The hazing investigation has also spurred conversations about changes to Pennsylvania's mandatory reporting laws. The grand jury recommended that hazing be treated similarly to other forms of child abuse under the law — making it a reportable offense by mandated reporters like teachers, coaches and administrators.
"Transparency and urgency are paramount. Our community deserves it," one parent said.
