They are now working to bring unity to their neighborhoods, starting with their schools.
Upper Darby School District Superintendent Dr. Daniel McGarry said staff and students are hurting due to the recent events in the Philadelphia region and across the country.
“We have received emails from students who feel like there have been intentional systems put in place that are keeping them from reaching their goals,” he said. “That has to change. We are part of those systems.”
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In an effort to change those systems, the district is collaborating with the township and Upper Darby police to reach out to the community and break down walls and social barriers.
“We will continue to finalize our plans to provide an ear for our students and our community, regardless of the schools closing for the summer,” McGarry added. “There's an opportunity that when we are back in person working together and building these relationships, we'll be able to stem the tide of the hate that's existing in this country.”
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Tim Bernhardt said his officers are going to put their all into mending broken relationships.
“We promise you that we are going to listen and we're going to move this forward,” he said. “Today is a new day, and we're going to begin to work on overcoming the challenges this country is facing right now.”
Bernhardt said it's incumbent on his administration to fix relationships and gain the community’s trust.
The school district is finalizing the committee's immediate goals and will unveil a plan in the near future.