Staff is 'worn out': Upper Darby School District superintendent sends message to parents

UPPER DARBY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The superintendent of Upper Darby School District sent a message on Thursday night imploring parents to speak to their children about better behavior in and around school.

Superintendent Daniel McGarry wrote that recent behaviors involving students are "unsettling to say the least."

McGarry wrote, "Our staffs are worn out trying to provide our students the best they have to offer."

"We need your support," the message continues. "As parents/guardians, we ask that you please speak to your children about appropriate conduct on their way to and from school and in school."

His message to parents continued, "Please talk to them about treating one another with respect. I know we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, and the last several months have been physically and emotionally draining, but our schools should be one of the safest places in a young person's life."

Some parents agreed with McGarry's message.

"I think that's a lot of the problem. Parents are not communicating with their kids properly," said parent Yasmine Brown.

Others believe the school should be doing more for their students.

"You want the parents to step up, but he should step up too. If he wants to be a superintendent he should come down, talk to the kids putting them things in place if he wants help," said Haneef Dennis.

McGarry said that in recent months, they've seen a rise in physical altercations to and from school and on buses.

"The minor fights that my daughter says are happening at school, it's about five or six fights every single day. Every day, it's a problem. She's only in sixth grade," said Brown.

Action News has covered several violent fights that broke out near Upper Darby High School. This past fall, two were arrested outside a nearby Starbucks. The day before that, a student was stabbed outside a McDonald's and six people were arrested.

"I know that we can all do better," McGarry wrote.

McGarry listed different organizations that could provide assistance.

He wrote, "We have staff and resources to help our students make better choices, but we need your help."

"I am asking for your help as a community to rally around one another to overcome this adversity. No one part of our school community can do it alone. We need all involved in supporting students to be and do their best."

Read the full letter from Upper Darby Superintendent Daniel McGarry:

Good Evening Upper Darby Royals:

I send this communication with hope and optimism of better days ahead for us as a community, but recent student behaviors are unsettling to say the least. Over the past few months, the increase in physical altercations on the way to school or on the way home from school while walking or on our buses, conduct in our schools, and even conduct in the evening and over the weekend has to improve. I know that we can all do better. I have recently held meetings with the Upper Darby Police Department's Chief of Police, Mr. Timothy Bernhardt. We work together under a state-required Memo of Understanding (MOU) where local public school districts work with local law enforcement on promoting, sustaining, and responding to emergencies and student conduct in the community. In response to the increased community and school behaviors, we wanted to remind all of you of the following support(s) and resources we have available to students and families in need, and to also let everyone know that we will not tolerate threats of violence or acts of violence in our schools or community. We have to do better.

Proactively, the District has the following programs in place in our schools:

1. Youth Courts

2. Trained Restorative Justice Teams
3. Student Assistance Program (SAP)
4. Trauma Informed Supports in partnership with Lakeside Neurologic
5. Conflict Resolution Supports in partnership with Child Guidance Resource Center in our schools
6. Crisis Prevention Institute - Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training
7. State-Recognized Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Programs (PBIS)
8. K-12 Social and Emotional Learning Lessons
9. Building Level Equity Teams
10. Guidance Counselors and Social Workers
11. Parent Workshops and student assemblies in partnership with the District Attorney's Office on the perils of social media
12. Safe2Say Something
13. Developing a TAPS program with local police
14. Developing a Youth Mentor Program

15. Developing updated technology curriculum to include Digital Citizenship
16. Developing a Fire Preparation Course Proposal

We have staff and resources to help our students make better choices, but we need your help.

We can no longer tolerate the physical nature of recent behaviors in our schools, on our buses and in our community. We are putting our staff, our emergency responders, and other students in potentially unsafe situations. I have met with our Upper Darby Education Association union leadership, and again, our local law enforcement. Our staffs are worn out trying to provide our students the best they have to offer. We need your support. As parents/guardians, we ask that you please speak to your children about appropriate conduct on their way to and from school and in school. Please talk to them about treating one another with respect. I know we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, and the last several months have been physically and emotionally draining, but our schools should be one of the safest places in a young person's life. We will continue to implement the plan we put in place since 2021 for students involved in the following at the secondary level:

1. Cutting classes and roaming the halls will result in a meeting with the Director of Secondary Education.
2. Physical conduct and fighting will not be tolerated. Students engaged in fighting will be brought to a hearing and removed from in-person instruction.
3. Social Media conduct outside of school and during the school are negatively impacting student behavior. Interactions between and among students via social media that interrupt the learning environment will result in a meeting with the Director of Secondary Education.
4. Students engaged in bullying and/or harassing both physically and via social media will be disciplined in accordance with our Code of Character
5. Negative student behavior on our buses will not be tolerated. We will expect parental support if students engage in negative behavior while on a district bus to and from school. Students engaged in negative behavior will receive discipline and possible removal from the bus.

I am asking for your help as a community to rally around one another to overcome this adversity. No one part of our school community can do it alone. We need all involved in supporting students to be and do their best.

Thank you for your attention to this very important message.

Daniel P. McGarry, Ed.D.