What we know about Penn Wood’s athletics suspensions and what happens next

The William Penn School District acknowledged the frustration of students who walked out at Penn Wood High School Friday, protesting its decision to suspend all high school and middle school athletics after a “culture and climate” incident.

But the suspensions stand while the district investigates the “conduct involving student-athletes that, if proven by a preponderance of the evidence, would violate board policies,” the Delaware County district said in a statement Friday night.

“The district made a difficult decision out of concern for athlete safety and the culture and climate of our programs,” it said. “We understand that the suspension affects students and families across our athletic programs. It is not intended to be permanent.”

Here’s what we know and don’t about the suspension of Penn Wood’s sports programs, and what happens next:

William Penn announced Thursday that it had suspended all athletic programs at Penn Wood High School, after receiving information about what it described as “an alleged incident that implicates culture and climate in athletics.”

The district, which later amended its statement to note that middle school athletics were also suspended, did not describe the alleged incident or when it happened, or what team or teams were involved.

A spokesperson did not respond to questions seeking further information.

The suspensions come after the Cheltenham School District in Montgomery County canceled the 2025 and 2026 football seasons, following a locker-room assault that resulted in criminal charges against four coaches and six players. In that case, Cheltenham did not suspend other sports programs.

The district said Thursday that it had “appointed an outside investigator to objectively evaluate the information.”

But on Friday, it said it was “finalizing an agreement with an investigator who can fairly gather and evaluate evidence in light of district policy.” The district has not named the investigator.

Hundreds of students walked out of Penn Wood High School on Friday, according to NBC10.

“This protest is not just about the sports. Because at the end of the day, somebody was harmed in the situation. We want to bring light to the situation,” Nylah Gousse, a Penn Wood senior, told NBC10. “But also we just want to shine light on the fact that there are teams that were harmed in this situation that had nothing to do with it.”

Reports of the walkout had circulated on social media, and the district was prepared for a possible protest.

“Staff that have prep and would like to support students to safely protest, we ask that you be present in the large hallways and spaces,” the high school’s principal, Stephen Chicano, said in a Friday email to employees obtained by the Inquirer. Chicano noted there were potential consequences for students who walked out.

The district will begin surveying students this weekend to hear their experiences, it said.

William Penn is “taking steps toward resuming athletic programs with measures in place to address our current concerns,” the district said Friday. “As we evaluate each team’s culture and climate, we will identify areas for improvement and address any gaps in safety precautions.”

It said that “teams may resume activities when the district determines that appropriate measures are in place to support student safety.”

William Penn has long struggled with funding, and athletics have previously been in jeopardy. The district — which previously sued the state and won a landmark decision in 2023 finding Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional — warned residents in 2025 that it was at risk of cutting arts and athletics as it scrambled to plug a budget hole.