Upper Darby School District’s Superintendent Dr. Richard Dunlap issued an apology Friday (March 4th) after a picture surfaced of three student dressed in clothing resembling the Ku Klux Klan. Dunlap stated that the school district is going to use the situation as a teachable moment. He went on to explain that the school district is “deeply sorry.” The school will be taking action by talking to students when school resumes on Monday (March 7th).
This picture left a bitter taste in the mouths of community members. The picture started to circulate on social media Thursday (March 3rd). It depicts part of a skit that was intended to show the historical impact of the 1920s. The intention was to have the skit “highlight the atrocities of the Ku Klux Klan.” The picture originally hit social media last August but has only recently resurfaced. School officials were not aware of this picture until it surfaced Thursday on a student’s Twitter account.
Dunlap stated that, “we recognize that the project was in poor judgment and an inappropriate activity.” Teachers from other schools said that there is way of teaching the impact and role the Ku Klux Klan played in history without having students dress up or offend members of the community.
The school district is currently working with Children and Parental Enrichment Services to complete diversity training for the staff. He stated that the district will make an attempt to learn from this situation, and try to ensure that nothing like this happens again. The hope is for the staff to learn a way of addressing the diversity of the students within the school district.
The community in which the Upper Darby School Districts is within is one of the most diverse school districts, according to some residents. The 2010 census supports this, within the nearly eight square miles there are about 82,000 residences. Of those residents, 56.6 percent are White, 27.5 percent are African American, 0.2 percent Native American, 11.1 percent Asian, and 2.7 percent are of two or more races
This event is in direct contrast of the district’s mission statement which is [according to their website]
“To provide a comprehensive and challenging educational program which encourages all learners in a safe environment to respect others, value education, and appreciate and contribute to their community as confident, independent thinkers”
A former student of the Upper Darby School District, Brianna Hicks expressed her concerns. She learned of the situation through her social media account. She stated that the picture got one of two shares and then a “’whisper down the lane’” affect took over. As the picture got more shares and reached more members of the community, residents started to come to their own conclusions Hicks said. She did explain that there needs to be a discussion about the historical significance of the KKK, but it should be done in a professional and appropriate matter. The joking matter of the issue is unsettling to Hicks, since the issue of historical hate groups is such a serious subject.
In addition Hicks has two younger siblings that are currently attending Upper Darby High School. They feel as if the school as a whole is diverse, yet they feel the teachers “are lacking in cultural awareness.” Hicks goes on to explain that the majority of the teachers are Caucasian and that alone is not an issue. It only becomes a problem when their ability to relate to students and their teaching techniques reflect that it makes “an uncomfortable environment for minority students.”
To read Superintendent Dr. Richard Dunlap's full statement visit the District News section of the school's website.
