Cheltenham School District Settles With Former Superintendent for $267,000

When a high‑school football hazing scandal rocked Cheltenham Township last fall, the fallout rippled all the way to the district’s top office. Ten members of the Cheltenham High School football team were charged after two locker‑room assaults, and the reverberations forced longtime superintendent Brian W. Scriven to hand in his resignation.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the school board has now approved a settlement that will see Scriven walk away with nearly $267,000. The money isn’t just a “good‑by‑gift”; it also covers paid‑out vacation, sick and personal leave that Scriven never got to use before his departure became official on Aug. 6.

The agreement, a seven‑page separation and general release, follows the Pennsylvania Public School Code and is designed to settle any potential claims either side might raise. In plain language, both the district and Scriven agreed to end the employment relationship cleanly, with the district paying for the remainder of his contract through June 30, 2031.

Scriven, a Cheltenham High School alumnus who rose through the district’s ranks, found his career abruptly redirected. While the settlement provides financial closure, the community is still wrestling with the deeper questions the hazing incidents raised about school culture and oversight.

District officials say the payout is a routine resolution, meant to avoid drawn‑out litigation and let everyone move forward. Meanwhile, the football program that sparked the controversy remains under scrutiny, with several coaches and players still facing legal proceedings.

For now, the board’s approval of the settlement marks the latest chapter in a story that began with bruised egos in a locker room and has since expanded into a broader conversation about student safety, accountability, and the role of administrators in preventing such incidents.