DARE'S WORTH WAS QUESTIONED BEFORE CUTS

A Brown County Committee Has Voted To Reduce The Prevention Program By Half

[Photo caption - DARE officer Kevin VandenHeuvel talks to students during
DARE graduation ceremonies at Kennedy Elementary School last spring (photo
by H. Marc Larson).]

Drug Abuse Resistance Education officers are feeding children
misinformation and turning them against their parents, according to the
director of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

The Green Bay woman, who asked for personal reasons that her name not be
used, said police officers wearing uniforms and guns exaggerate the effects
of marijuana use, while not giving enough attention to harder, more
dangerous drugs.

"The DARE program is a lie," the NORML director said. "I don't want my tax
dollars supporting it."

But Brown County and school district officials say the program is an
effective deterrent to the spread of drug abuse.

DARE is a prevention program taught to students in schools nationwide. The
Brown County DARE program started in Wrightstown in 1990 and is now taught
in 57 public and parochial schools in the county.

The County Board's Public Safety Committee recommended Monday that two of
the Sheriff's Departments four full-time DARE officers be eliminated from
the tight 2001 county budget, at a savings of $140,000. The full board
considers the budget Nov. 13.

Over 16 weeks, the DARE officers teach a weekly core curriculum to fifth-
and sixth-graders, and a DARE middle school program is taught to seventh-
and eighth-graders.

Students learn the effects of mind-altering drugs and the consequences of
alcohol and marijuana use. They also discuss how to reduce and avoid
violence, risky behaviors and peer pressure, while learning the importance
of self-esteem, assertiveness and choosing positive peers and role models.

Brown County Sheriff's Capt. Clyde Cribb, who heads the DARE program, said
the course is not meant to exaggerate the effects of any drug, including
marijuana. DARE officers discuss the harmful effects of marijuana just as
they do for alcohol and all other drugs, he said. "I don't think the
problems with marijuana are overexaggerated," Cribb said. "It is a problem
when young people are using a substance that's illegal."

Turning In Mom And Dad

The local NORML representative said parents are given very little
information about the program or any involvement in that aspect of their
child's education. The officers use propaganda and promises to get students
to do their police work for them, and sometimes that includes turning their
parents in for drug use, she said.

"Basically, the police buddy up with the kids, but it's only to find out
what they know," she said. "The kids are being used as snitches."

Cribb acknowledged some students have revealed to officers their parents'
involvement with drugs. The students trust the officers, and the
information comes out during discussions in the class, he said.

"DARE officers build a relationship with students, and sometimes students
can be quite honest," Cribb said. "We know very well that some of the kids
in the DARE class have parents who use drugs. We can tell that sometimes
just by the things students say when they talk to the DARE officers."

Cribb said children who grow up in homes with parents who use drugs are
more likely themselves to use drugs. DARE teaches students the harmful
effects of drugs and encourages them to choose not to use them, he said.

"Hopefully with something like DARE we can counter that influence," Cribb
said. "We hope to get them to stay away from drugs and not be like their
parents."

The NORML director said drug use is a serious subject that should be taught
as part of an "honest drug education by professionals, not police."

"The DARE officers basically emphasize putting people down who smoke or use
marijuana," she said. "I don't think they're qualified. A subject such as
this should be taught in health class by teachers, not police in full
uniforms with guns."

Schools Like The Program

Sue Todey, director of student services for Green Bay Area Public Schools,
said teachers do lead drug prevention lessons in healthand regular classes.
The harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol are taught to kindergartners,
and lessons about marijuana and harder drugs are introduced to older
students, she said.

Todey said DARE is not turning children into little police officers. The
program is meant to foster a positive relationship between students and
police officers, while reinforcing a drug prevention message already being
taught by teachers and parents, she said.

"It sends students a message that an entire community is against drug use,"
Todey said. "The officers are another resource. They're reinforcing the
message the teachers are sending and vice versa."

Cribb said the officers have proven themselves to be competent instructors.
The program has gotten positive feedback from school officials and the
teachers who share their classrooms with the officers, he said.

"Teachers sometimes evaluate the officer and whether he or she is a good
instructor," Cribb said. "They've seen over the years how the DARE officers
have become better teachers and better instructors." Cribb said students
enjoy the DARE program. The interactive course includes role playing and
extra-curricular activities and is a break from the regular curriculum, he
said.

"I've been in the classroom on occasions and watched the DARE officers
teach," Cribb said. "The DARE officers do serve as role models to the
students, and they do develop a positive relationship with the students.
For the most part, in the classes I've attended, the students look very
much forward to the DARE class once a week."

Controversy Is National

Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, said a study published
in the August 1999 issue of the American Psychological Association's
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found the DARE program has no
long-term effect on adolescent drug use.

Researchers tracked more than 1,000 students who participated in the DARE
program in the sixth grade. The students were re-evaluated at age 20.
According to the study, the program initially influenced the students'
perceptions toward drug use, but the changes did not persist over time.

"DARE is a dismal failure, and nearly every one of the numerous government
reviews say the program is ineffective," St. Pierre said.

Todey said the school district has made recommendations based on the
results of the studies. The district plans to increase parental involvement
in the program and implement additional activities to reinforce the DARE
message, she said.

Cribb said studies tend to "pick on DARE" because it's the largest drug
prevention program in the country. The program does have its weaknesses,
such as not having a follow-up course for the high school level, and the
result is a lack of reinforcement during a time when the pressure to do
drugs is at its peak, he said.

"It's not just DARE," Cribb said. "I don't care what prevention program you
have. If you don't have reinforcement or you don't have follow up, it's not
going to be as successful as maybe it could be."

Despite some negativity surrounding the national program, Cribb said the
Brown County DARE officers have success stories to tell. The program is
doing its part to help steer children away from drugs, but parents and
community members also have a role to play, he said.

"DARE alone certainly cannot in itself reduce drug use," Cribb said. "DARE
is only part of the solution. You've heard the saying, 'It takes a village
to raise a child.' There's a lot of truth in that."