Superintendent Richard Dunlap said the photo — which shows three students, each wearing a white shirt with the letter “K” along with conical hoods covering their faces — was snapped during a 2014-15 history class presentation that was supposed to show the historical impact of the 1920s.

The image first surfaced on social media in August, according to philly.com.

AD

“The photo has offended many in the community, and the Upper Darby School District is deeply sorry for this,” Dunlap said Friday in a statement. “Though there was no intention to harm or offend anyone, we recognize that the project was in poor judgment and an inappropriate activity.”

The Upper Darby School District, which boasts nearly 12,000 students across 14 schools, is rooted in a suburb in southeastern Delaware County, Pa., where “residents reflect a great diversity of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds,” according to the district.

AD

But the Ku Klux Klan has a long history there: According to the book “Hoods and Shirts: The Extreme Right in Pennsylvania, 1925-1950,” Delaware County boasted the second-largest Klan lodge in the state in 1925 and 1926 — “Klavern” 350, in Chester, with 2,155 members.

AD

In 1988, the Ku Klux Klan created a stir in Parkside Borough, some 10 miles from Upper Darby Township, where about three dozen Klansmen “marched silently” down a street as protesters jeered and threw eggs at them, according to the News of Delaware County.

More than 70 percent of Delaware County’s residents are white, according to recent U.S. Census figures. About 21 percent of the county’s residents are black.

Dunlap, the superintendent, said Friday that district employees have been undergoing diversity training.

“That training will continue,” he said in the statement, “and we will implement a plan for addressing diversity with our students, as well.

AD

AD

“The Upper Darby School District truly regrets this incident and appreciates the support and cooperation of our community as we attempt to use this as a teachable moment regarding cultural, historical, and racial understanding.”