ST. LOUIS - Roosevelt High School abruptly ended the Roughriders' football season due to safety concerns and a lack of players, leaving parents seeking answers.

The decision was made after the team's roster dwindled from 38 players to just 20, raising safety risks according to Saint Louis Public Schools.

Julia Perkins, a parent of a senior football player, expressed frustration at being left in the dark, stating she learned of the cancellation through her son and social media.

Perkins attended the meeting with football staff, where she was the only parent present in person, with another joining via Zoom at her invitation.

“Was it really a collective effort? Was it really? It wasn’t,” Perkins said.

During the meeting, staff explained that the season was canceled due to safety concerns and the reduced roster size. Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) issued a statement confirming the decision to forfeit the remainder of the season due to safety risks.

"Unfortunately, with only about 20 players remaining on the roster, continuing the season posed safety risks," the district wrote. "After careful consideration, the team made the difficult decision to forfeit the remainder of the season."

The district also mentioned that the head coach suffered a medical emergency and an assistant coach passed away.

“This is the first time that I’ve heard that… that the assistant coach passed away. I’ve never heard that," Perkins said.

Perkins shared that the staff offered assistance with highlight reels for her son, Camryn, a senior, to aid his college prospects. She expressed heartbreak for her son and other players, feeling that the meeting should have occurred before the season was canceled.

“Camryn has no options to transfer this season. They did offer some help as far as his highlights and things like that to help get him into colleges and to seen by colleges rather but this season he’s done," Perkins said.

The principal assured her that the basketball season will continue as planned, but the future of the football team remains uncertain.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.