CHELTENHAM, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Montgomery County Grand Jury that investigated hazing incidents involving players on Cheltenham’s 2025 football team is also advising changes to Pennsylvania law.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said the grand jury called the internal investigation by Cheltenham High School staff into the incident “flawed from the start.”
“The grand jury is critical of the administration's investigation into this; it failed and failed on a couple different levels,” he said.
The report said Cheltenham High School’s quote: “Level of incompetence didn’t just fail one child — it put every young man on the football team at risk.”
It said the school staff tasked with handling the investigation was unqualified, noting at least five paid coaches were not up to date with state-mandated clearances during the season. The report also noted that staff actively avoided meeting with the mother of the victim.
The grand jury also recommended changes to the wording of current state law to include hazing in child abuse statutes. It argued that a mandatory reporting requirement would have prevented Cheltenham High School’s administration from being able to “open and control a biased investigation that was ultimately more concerned with protecting coaches and the institution than advocating for the juvenile victim.”
Four coaches and six players are charged in connection with the incident. After those charges were announced, Cheltenham Superintendent Brian Scriven said the district welcomes the proposed law changes and plans to work with its state legislators.
It also asked the Pa legislature to add hazing to child abuse statutes.
It also asked the Pa legislature to add hazing to child abuse statutes.
