MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Aug. 22.
The Middletown Area School District released a series of anti-hazing guidelines during an Oct. 4 board meeting.
The district outlined several long-term plans expected to be voted on in upcoming meetings.
A workshop has been scheduled for Oct. 26 with the Positive Coaching Alliance. The workshop will be for all coaches and athletes and will feature former Rutgers softball coach Randy Nathan.
A long-term plan was also discussed at the meeting. The plan would implement a three-year commitment and collaboration with Stop Hazing to build a culture of positive group interaction. The program would also raise awareness surrounding bystander intervention to prevent future acts of hazing.
The plan is expected to be approved on Oct. 18.
Coaches with The Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Sports (PBIS) met last week to discuss how the organization would be directly involved with the district in order to create a positive cultural change, according to officials at the meeting.
Additionally, the first wave of universal screeners will be deployed in October throughout the school district. The screeners will analyze students on social, emotional and academic behaviors. With the collected data, anti-hazing interventions can then be put in place.
An anti-hazing code of conduct was also brought forward, but according to officials at the meeting, the issue will be up for discussion and approval in a future meeting.
The meeting comes following the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office announcement of charges filed against 10 former Middletown football players in connection to alleged hazing incidents
The school district was first informed of the suspected hazing by members of the football team on Aug. 12, after a video showing an incident was circulated on social media.
The video appeared to show a group of students holding down two of their teammates. The players allegedly used a muscle therapy gun and another piece of athletic equipment to poke the buttock region of the students on the ground.
The full Oct. 4 school board meeting can be found here.