WYNCOTE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — After allegations of hazing going unaddressed rocked Cheltenham High School over the summer, Pennsylvania state legislators quickly passed a law before their session is up that now requires school officials to report hazing.
State Senator Art Haywood, whose district includes Cheltenham, helped introduce the anti-hazing bill, which was passed unanimously in both chambers.
Standing outside Cheltenham High School on Tuesday afternoon, he said adults in charge of students can no longer turn a blind eye to harmful initiation rituals.
“If there is a hazing incident, it must be reported by a coach, school official, teacher,” said Haywood. “Just like other child abuse, it’s subject to mandatory reporting.”
Over the summer, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office accused Cheltenham football coaches of caring more about the season than about player safety. Officials said coaches tried to keep parents from knowing about hazing incidents. Multiple allegations of unsupervised student-on-student assault last year led to six players and four coaches being charged.
Ikysha Dearry, a parent in the district and president of the Cheltenham African American Alliance, said “keeping things in house is never an option” in regards to hazing.
“Keeping our young children safe is the only option,” she said.
The law takes effect on Jan. 20, 2027.
