May 27, 2026
Daniella Heminghaus/Imagn Images
Cheltenham High School will not field a varsity or junior varsity football team this season while the district awaits the outcomes of hazing investigations. The photo above shows Cheltenham players, right, in an October 2024 game against Truman High School in Bucks County.
Cheltenham High School will not have varsity and junior varsity football seasons this fall amid ongoing investigations into hazing, including a locker room assault that resulted in the school district suspending competition last year.
More work and fact-finding must be done to address the culture of the football program, the district said Tuesday. The program has been the subject of internal and external investigations spanning months.
MORE: Swarthmore College to cover full tuition for families making under $200,000 starting in fall 2027
"Until those investigations are concluded and their findings are known, it is not possible to define, develop, or execute the necessary corrective actions," Superintendent Brian W. Scriven said in a message to the Cheltenham community. "The district cannot build a path forward around unknowns, the scope and nature of what must be addressed will be determined by the evidence, and that process must be allowed to run its course before any meaningful next steps can be taken."
Scriven said the district will field a ninth-grade team this fall, but the rest of the program remains under review.
Cheltenham hired an outside investigator in September after receiving reports of a student-on-student assault in the football team's locker room. Details about the incident have not been released, but the investigation found 19 students witnessed the assault and none attempted to stop it.
"Several participated freely in it. Several students also filmed the assault," Scriven said in January when preliminary findings of the probe were shared with the school community.
The external investigation found the school's football program had a "toxic and negative culture" that stemmed from lack of supervision by the team's coaching staff. Cheltenham's head coach last season was Terence Tolbert, a business education teacher at the high school and former semipro football player in private Pennsylvania leagues.
After the assault was reported, the district canceled the final two games of the football season and rescheduled the school's annual Senior Night.
Scriven said the external investigator recommended replacing the coaching staff, establishing new protocols for incident reporting and creating training materials for student conduct.
The Cheltenham Police Department and Montgomery County District Attorney's Office also opened an investigation into the assault, Scriven said, but no charges have been filed. A spokesperson for the Montgomery County DA's office said Wednesday the investigation is ongoing.
Scriven said the school district consulted with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association in making the decision to cancel the upcoming season. The district said the PIAA will field questions from parents about how the decision impacts athletic eligibility and transfers.
The district said it will look to provide other outlets for the high school's pep band, drumline, color guard and cheerleading teams this year. The school also will provide counseling services for support and guidance to those impacted by the canceled football season.
"The district recognizes that this uncertainty is difficult for students, families, and staff, and we are committed to ensuring that no one navigates this time alone," Scriven said.
