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The Middletown Area School District reversed its decision and cancelled the high school's football season after at least one more video of hazing surfaced, Dr. Chelton Hunter, Superintendent of Schools for the Middletown Area School District stated in a second letter on Wednesday, August 24. You can read about this change in the decision here.
ORIGINAL:
Disturbing details about sexual hazing have been released as a central Pennsylvania school district announces that they will not end the football season early.
The Middletown Area school district began investigating a hazing that happened on August 11, 2022—only after a cellphone video film by high school football players was shared on social media.
The incident happened in the "high school turf room for heat acclimation practice sessions," Dr. Chelton Hunter, Superintendent of Schools for the Middletown Area School District says.
A group of students is shown "restraining two of their teammates and using a muscle therapy gun and another piece of athletic equipment to poke the buttock areas of the students who were on the ground," Dr. Hunter details.
But they make sure to note that the abused child was "fully clothed" and "It did not appear that any student's body was physically penetrated," as Hunter stated in a letter to "parents/guardians" on Monday, August 22.
These were among the "multiple factors in deciding whether to continue with the football season," then the officials go on to say that some of the factors include "the potential impact canceling the season would have on football players not involved in this incident as well as students involved in marching band and cheerleading."
"As soon as the players involved in the hazing were identified on August 12, they were removed from the football team pending the outcome of the investigation and the completion of the student discipline process." And the head coach resigned on August 15, as stated in the letter.
"An interim football coach will lead the team through the rest of the season," Hunter says.
Hunter added that "behavior such as that seen on the video simply will not be tolerated," and "the video is difficult to watch as this is a completely unacceptable, offensive, and highly inappropriate act." The school mentioned that the children involved violated school policies but says "District will be working to develop additional protocols and supports to promote a positive school climate and culture for all students."
The Lower Swatara Township police continue to investigate this incident.
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