D.A.R.E. PROGRAM NEEDS IMPROVEMENT NOT ELIMINATION

The recent criticism of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
program and the possibility that the program could lose funding has
Mountaintop area police very concerned.

The program, which was started in the elementary schools in the Crestwood
School District about six years ago, has had a positive impact, say police,
and they are hopeful it will continue.

Interviews with Fairview Chief Joe Intelicato and Wright Chief Joe Jacob
indicate the program, at least in our Mountaintop schools, is making a
difference in educating young students on the devastating consequences of
drug and alcohol abuse.

Students in the 5th grade classes at Fairview and Rice, and the 8th grade
classes at St. Jude's and the Crestwood Middle School are benefiting by the
program.

And, as an added bonus, a positive rapport has developed between the
students and local police-even years after they have completed the program.

Any education that students receive to arm them against becoming a
statistic should be continued.

Mountaintop police explain the program works in Mountaintop because our
students may try drugs for recreational use as opposed to students in large
cities for whom the buying, selling and using of drugs has become a lifestyle.

The D.A.R.E. program may very well be lacking in the cities where students
need more intensive programs so that fighting the drug war does not become
a losing battle.

The battle in our community, and those like it across the country, are
played on a different battlefield when it comes to drugs.

While the use of drugs among our youth has increased so has the efforts of
our local schools and law enforcement officers.

Police acknowledge the D.A.R.E. program alone is not enough to keep
students away from drugs. That requires a team effort and that team must
include parents and educators, along with law enforcement officers.

In the Crestwood School District, the D.A.R.E. program does not stand alone
as the only means by which students receive an education in drug
resistance. Programs in our community continue on to the high school level
where a drug and alcohol prevention education specialist is available to
reinforce the drug resistance education students have already received
during the 17-week D.A.R.E. program in the elementary schools. Once a week
classes are conducted in the 7, 8, and 9 grades where students receive
information and are free to ask questions.

Drug resistance education programs are also presented to children in the
early primary grades.

The D.A.R.E. program is an important educational tool when it comes to
understanding the devastating effects of drug abuse and learning how to
handle peer pressure but it cannot be the only program.

If it were to stand alone, it would surely not be enough.

But, it has had a positive impact and until we find a better educational
program, or more complimentary ones to address the important issue of drug
and alcohol abuse among our nation's young students, it should not be
discarded.