ELYRIA BUMPS D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

District Says It Has Too Narrow A Focus

ELYRIA -- Starting next year, fifth-grade students in Elyria schools
will no longer participate in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.

The school board decided earlier this semester to end the agreement
that brings an Elyria police officer into the schools with
Superintendent Paul Rigda saying the nationally-renowned program is
"narrowly focused."

To better serve the students, guidance counselors will spend more
time in the classrooms teaching a broader curriculum that encompasses
D.A.R.E., as well as other pressures facing today's youth.

The new approach will start in kindergarten as opposed to D.A.R.E.,
which starts in fifth grade. Guidance counselors and teachers will
work together to develop an age-appropriate lesson that focuses on
teaching kids to make healthy choices.

Topics will run the gamut from sex and avoiding drugs and alcohol to
peer pressure and why vandalism is not cool. Topics will change as
students age to make the lessons more relevant. And, unlike D.A.R.E.
where students "graduate," the new curriculum continues until high school.

"Where D.A.R.E. had its role, nothing lasts forever, and nothing
works in a 'one-size-fits-all' format," Rigda said. "This approach is
not just a six-or eight-week course kids have to get through to
graduate. This way it is embedded in every aspect of school that will
ultimately give us a better chance at changing the attitudes that
lead to destructive behaviors."

Elyria police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub said schools will still have a
police presence, although there will no longer be an active D.A.R.E.
officer. She returns to road patrol after this semester.

With the elimination of the program, Eichenlaub said the department
will no longer apply for the federal grants to fund the D.A.R.E.
program. The additional money the police department put toward the
program from its own budget now will be divided among other needs.

"There is a lot of pride in the program, but the schools are doing a
lot more in the classroom meaning we are going to have to do more to
keep up with the interaction we have with kids," Eichenlaub said.
"Officers are always working family events like the Apple Festival
and Fourth of July fireworks. Those are great times when parents can
initiate contact with officers."

Patrol officers regularly visit neighborhood schools and will be
encouraged to do it more as a result of losing the program. In
addition, starting Monday, a community resource officer will be
permanently stationed at the high school. His role will be a
combination of prevention, intervention and investigation.

Rigda said the idea to cut the D.A.R.E. program has been months in
the making, although little to no community input was solicited.

"We honestly believe we are not taking anything out of our
curriculum," he said. "This will absolutely mean more service, more
education and -- here's the bonus for the community -- at not a penny more."

D.A.R.E. started in 1983 in Los Angeles, Calif. at the height of the
war on drugs, gangs and violence. It is now in 75 percent of the
nation's schools and offers police officer-led classroom instruction
on a variety of topics including smoking, drugs, and alcohol. It is
funded in part by the police department and grants.