Anti-Hazing Bill Proposed After Central Bucks West Allegations

A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to crack down on hazing in light of the recent allegations that shut down the football season at Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown.

Pennsylvania Representative Ron Marsico (R-Lower Paxton) announced Friday he is developing a bill that would make hazing illegal at all Pennsylvania schools and require schools to enforce policies to prevent hazing.

“Hazing is another form of bullying, which must be stopped,” Marsico said. “Traditional bullying involves singling out one individual at any time and bullying them as a means to exclude them. Hazing involves bullying someone to make them earn their way into a group or onto a team.”

Pennsylvania currently has a law that makes hazing a third-degree misdemeanor but it only applies to colleges and universities.

“The instances of hazing here in Pennsylvania, as well as across the country, clearly are not limited to colleges or universities,” Marsico said.

The bill comes just a week after administrators at Central Bucks School District decided to cancel the football season after reports of hazing during a team picnic in August. Allegations include a practice students called “waterboarding,” in which rookies would have a towel placed over their heads and water poured on them while in the shower. Additionally, administrators said students were forced to touch other player’s genital area while clothed.