Following last month’s announcement that Cheltenham High School’s varsity and junior varsity football programs will be cancelled for the 2026 season, several Panthers have shared their concerns and frustrations with The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kyle Montgomery, a rising senior defensive end, Brian Palmer-King, a wide receiver and cornerback, Elijah Stehman, a rising senior running back, and Kendall Jackson, a rising senior quarterback, were interviewed. A handful of parents spoke with The Inquirer as well.

Jackson, a two-year starting quarterback, is reportedly looking into transfer possibilities with several area schools. But according to District 1 leadership, a student cannot transfer from one public school to another for athletic purposes, and for a transfer to be accepted, both the sending school and the receiving school must sign off.

Three anonymous Cheltenham parents are threatening lawsuits if their children’s transfers are not accepted, The Inquirer said.

Jackson’s mother, Rosalind, said school officials told parents they would keep them informed, then didn’t.

“I feel defeated,” she told The Inquirer. “My son and these other kids are paying a price for what others did. … The school district hasn’t provided any answers. These kids should have been treated with far better respect than they were. They should have been told in person by a school administrator about this news, [rather] than receiving an email at 4 in the afternoon. The school district let me down.”

“We weren’t updated about anything,” Kendall Jackson said. “We’re sticking together. We’re trying to be there for each other, because no one else is. This has not only affected kids at Cheltenham, but the future kids thinking about coming to Cheltenham. Those kids might think Cheltenham is not the right place for them because of what supposedly happened. We’re all frustrated.”

The Inquirer also noted that the district could not find a new varsity coach to replace then-Panthers coach Terence Tolbert, a former teacher at the school. One applicant reportedly withdrew an application due to the program’s “unstable” culture.

The school district declined comment and Tolbert could not be reached for comment. The Inquirer wrote in May that Cheltenham School District previously denied a Right-to-Know request seeking the findings from the external investigation that was completed in January.

“The district cited the portion of Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know law that exempts records of noncriminal investigations from public disclosure,” The Inquirer wrote.

Comments on Glenside Local’s announcement of the season’s cancellation were somewhat divided. Examples include:

U.S. schools increasingly seem more invested in sports culture than academics. Canceling the football program for the remainder of the season gives the school time to regroup, investigate, and rebuild standards. This was a “team” that acted horribly. Good. Actions should have consequences.

Parents also need to stop pretending athletics should be insulated from accountability. If students behave like criminals under the banner of “team culture,” privileges can and should disappear. Life goes on. It’s a taxpayer-funded game, not a constitutional right.

The fact more of you are worried about their athletic chances in sports then the fact that at least 19 kids either watched or took it in assault that repeatedly happened and I’m sure there’s more kids that knew about it but didn’t say anything really says it all. The assault in the person who is assaulted should be the first thing everybody thinks about if that person is okay and not if Little Johnny is going to get his sports scholarship because he was on a team that acted like a bunch of animals. This was the right move and maybe these kids need to be fully kicked off the team and they can start from scratch but it’s just sickity and seeing how many of you are more concerned about the athletes and the chances they may lose then the student who was assaulted

Totally wrong move. This affects not only the players but all the activities and kids who participate in football related activities. How about the Alumni who attend the games. How about the schools we are supposed yo play. We are messing them up. I think our superintendent needs to rethink his policies, either that. Or resign!

Over-compensation by a school district, once again!

Group punishment like this penalizes all the innocents who train and plan all year round for the season. Not to mention the seniors who had hopes of gaining the attention of college football programs.

And what about the 10 Cheltenham opponents who have roughly 90 days to scramble to find a game to fill this sudden hole they have in their schedules?

This Dr. Brian Scriven may be mentally patting himself on the back for taking what he feels is the “noble” course of action. But in reality, he’s stuck it to a lot of different parties who didn’t deserve this.

Panthers football was expected to play in the district’s new athletics stadium this fall.

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