 |
 |
|
|
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) was developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District for use by educators and law enforcement officers to reduce drug abuse and violence among youth in their early teens. The emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to provide reinforcement and informational skills to enable students to resist pressure and other influences in making their personal choices. In addition, the lessons focus on helping students manage their feelings of anger and resolve conflicts without causing harm to themselves or others and without resorting to violence or the use of alcohol and drugs.
The program content is organized into seventeen 43 minute lessons to be conducted by a specially trained uniformed police officer who will be assigned to the school one day a week for one semester. The officer will conduct the lessons in grades 5 or 6 on a weekly basis and will also conduct four lessons for kindergarten and grades 1-2 and five lessons for grades 3-4. D.A.R.E. offers a variety of activity-oriented techniques which are designed to build self-esteem and generate responses to problem solving situations. An important element of D.A.R.E. is the use of student leaders who do not use drugs as positive role models in influencing younger students not to use drugs.
Currently, on the Maywood Police Department, there are three assigned D.A.R.E. officers; Sgt. Anthony Korn, P.O. Timothy Moran, and P.O. Kelly Krenn (pictured above). The goals of each D.A.R.E. officer is to start the D.A.R.E. program in kindergarten and follow those students thru to grade 8. The purpose behind this is to create a trusting bond between students and police officers, and to further make it easier for the student to accept and understand the teachings of the police officer.
The D.A.R.E. program is designed to help achieve America's educational goal for the new millenium. Every school in America will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.
