D. A. R. E.: Drug Abuse Resistance Education In Schools

D.A.R.E.

Should D.A.R.E. be taught to our kids? Are you familiar with D.A.R.E.? D.A.R.E., which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, has been taught in schools since the 1980s. Implemented in over 75 percent of the nation’s schools [About D.A.R.E.], they are lessons given by law enforcement officers in schools across the country. Culminating in a graduation ceremony, the lessons are typically given for 1 hour a week over the course of 17 weeks. Police officers travel to schools in order to education children in a variety of subjects including drug use, peer pressure and violence prevention. The D.A.R.E. program originated as the brain child of a Los Angeles police officer who was concerned how easy it was for undercover police officers

program is ineffective and is not worth the manpower, funding, and potentially harmful side effects that it could produce. The D.A.R.E. program is not perfect and it does have its faults. Opposition to the D.A.R.E. program believe there is only so much that can be taught or done at school “before parents must take over” [Barnett]. Drug prevention education starts in the home. Because D.A.R.E. is being administered at schools, parents may feel that the job to educate their children has been relieved; that their kids will receive the necessary tools or education directly at school. However, this isn’t the case. Talking to your children regarding drug prevention is an ongoing process. It is the parent’s responsibility to stay active in their children’s lives, and to give them the tools they need to be successful. It should not be left to educators at school, or the police officers that teach lessons through

officers have been given money time and time again by parents in order to help fund the D.A.R.E. program [Dees]. This isn’t an isolated case; D.A.R.E’s popularity with kids, adults and parents is overwhelming. Surveys conducted by the RCMP have confirmed this. Out of 5,337 students surveyed in 2007, 93% agreed that they learned new ways to handle situations regarding drugs, alcohol and tobacco [RCMP]. 70% said that they even discussed the D.A.R.E. lessons with their parents when they came home from school [RCMP]. Out of 3,050 parents that completed the survey, 88% said that their children talked to them about making positive decisions regarding drugs [RCMP]. 96% agreed that this was a direct result of the D.A.R.E. program [RCMP]. The D.A.R.E. program gets parents and their children to come together and discuss the potentially harmful side effects that drug abuse can cause. With the popularity of D.A.R.E. so high amongst children, they are actually more likely to attend school on the days that D.A.R.E. lessons are given [Vincus]. Going to school and knowing that the cycle of boring classroom work will be broken up, can be very exciting for