The William Penn School District in Lansdowne, Pa., reinstated some of its fall sports teams this week, reversing abrupt suspensions imposed last week after the district learned of an incident it said “implicates culture and climate in athletics.”
As reported by the The Philadelphia Inquirer, football remained suspended as the Delaware County district moves forward with an investigation into alleged misconduct.
“After reviewing student-athlete survey feedback, the district will move forward with reinstating the following fall high school teams: cheer, boys’ soccer, boys’ and girls’ cross-country, volleyball, and girls’ tennis (although their season is over),” the district said in a statement Monday, as reported by the Inquirer. “Our athletic director is working with coaches and teams to complete the remainder of the fall season.”
The district did not specify when or if football might be reinstated, and it made no mention of the middle school sports' status.
William Penn announced on Thursday that all Penn Wood High School sports were suspended “in response to information received about an alleged incident that implicates culture and climate in athletics.”
The district, which added Friday that middle school sports were also suspended, did not describe the incident, or which team or teams were allegedly involved. Students at the high school walked out Friday in protest.
The district said that it was trying to ensure student safety and that suspensions were not meant to be permanent.
On Monday, William Penn said it had “partnered with Grand River Solutions (GRS) who will coordinate a response under district policy and investigate specific allegations of misconduct.”
Per the reporting of Maddie Hanna, the California-based firm’s website says it has experience investigating “allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation and bullying, as well as sexual violence and stalking.”
William Penn said it is also “reviewing athletic operations and using feedback from students and coaches to identify areas for improvement,” Hanna reported.
While officials did not specify the incident or what led to the suspension, parents, students and a staff member at Penn Wood High School told local NBC affiliate WCAU it involved alleged hazing within one of their sports teams.
The suspension prompted a student walkout Oct. 16. Protesters argued that while they wanted to support any potential victims and hold anyone allegedly involved in hazing responsible, it wasn’t fair to punish sporting programs and student-athletes who weren’t involved in any misconduct, WCAU's David Chang reported.
CBS News reported that cheer, boys soccer, boys and girls cross country, volleyball and girls tennis are being reinstated. The girls tennis season is over.
