DARE IS BACK

The school district is fighting back against the ever present
influence of drugs and gang violence on its students.

In conjunction with the Gilroy Police Department, the Gilroy Unified
School District will reinstate the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
Program, an initiative that disappeared from the curriculum in 2005 as
a result of new guidelines and lack of state funding. The program was
taught in Gilroy schools for 18 years and reached 9,000 students
before it was scrapped and replaced by the current LifeSkills Training
program.

The LifeSkills program is offered to fifth and sixth graders and
focuses on self-esteem, social skills and drug resistance. However,
the program does not cover the primary drugs abused in Gilroy, gang
violence, peer pressure, bullying and Internet bullying, district
staff argued. The D.A.R.E program does, they said.

Superintendent Deborah Flores surveyed fifth grade teachers for input
on reinstating the D.A.R.E program.

"They wanted D.A.R.E.," she said.

"Obviously we have a gang problem in Gilroy . heavy drugs are
predominant around this city," said Sgt. Kurt Ashley during his
presentation to the board of trustees. "The D.A.R.E program covers
that."

When the program disappeared from Gilroy's schools, the GPD received
many complaints from parents, teachers and students that loved the
program, Ashley said.

Another important aspect of the program is the relationship that
develops between the officers and the students, he said.

"It humanizes the officers," he said. "When these kids grow up,
they'll be comfortable with us. They won't be afraid of us and will be
able to talk to us."

He reminded the board how the D.A.R.E graduation ceremonies used to be
accompanied by pomp and circumstance.

"We want to really make it something to be proud of," he
said.

Trustees voted unanimously to bring the program back into fifth grade
classrooms, replacing the LifeSkills Training. LifeSkills will now be
offered in fourth and sixth grade, meeting the state requirements, and
D.A.R.E. will be offered in the fifth grade. Ten 45 minute lessons
will educate students in the ways of the world - how to resist gang
violence, drugs and alcohol, avoid bullying, handle peer pressure and
make good decision.

"I've seen a drop-off in the kids who didn't go through it," Trustee
Denise Apuzzo said. "There's a difference in the kids. I'm very happy
to be reinstituting this."

Like Apuzzo, Board President Rhoda Bress's children also went through
the D.A.R.E program. Bress extolled the virtues of the program,
emphasizing the humanizing effect for the students that comes from
spending time with the police officers.

The police department agreed to absorb the cost of the police
officers' salaries as well as most of the $7,000 worth of costs for
materials. The district will chip in $1,000 annually to bring back the
program.

"We want to make this work," Ashley said.