DRUG RESISTANCE PROGRAM GOES BEYOND JUST A DARE

The Vassar Public School District is introducing a new drug resistance
program in January.

Smart Moves will replace DARE, Drug Awareness Resistance and Education,
which the district had used for more than 10 years, said Police Chief John
Horwath.

School officials began meeting in September with fifth-grade teachers,
Horwath and City Manager Brian Kischnick because new state requirements
were making it difficult to fit the 17-session program into their curriculum.

Smart Moves, which begins in kindergarten and continues through eighth
grade, covers more than drugs. Among the other topics are crime prevention,
use of the buddy system for safety and the importance of self-esteem.

In kindergarten through fourth grade, two half-hour courses are taught a
year. Drug prevention education begins in the fourth grade and continues in
the fifth grade with nine lessons and a graduation ceremony.

Horwath said officers would hold additional assemblies for sixth, seventh
and eighth grade students, and the district may consider extending the
program through 12th grade.

Officials chose Smart Moves because it puts police officers in contact with
students earlier than other programs they considered.

"Our biggest thing here is getting different officers in at an early age
and getting involved with the students," Horwath said.

DARE focused mainly on drug and crime prevention and was taught only in
fifth grade in Vassar, although some schools have additional courses in a
few other grades.

The Boys & Girls Club developed Smart Moves. The Bay City Police Department
modified it and has used it for three years.

Unlike DARE, which was developed by the Los Angeles Police Department in
1983, Smart Moves enables schools to change it to fit their needs, said
Linda M. Collier, Bay City police chief.

"We like it," said Lt. Tim J. Weiler, a supervisor of Smart Moves in Bay City.

"DARE was a good program but they put restrictions on it and we couldn't
change it. With Smart Moves, we can fine-tune it to the particular school
we are teaching it too."

Some schools may opt to focus on crime or other topics that are more
pertinent to their community, Collier said.

She agreed with Horwath that beginning the program in kindergarten provides
a greater emphasis on the curriculum, as well as a better relationship
between the students and officers.

"We wanted to develop the relationships with the younger child and carry it
through," she said.

The Tuscola County DARE Board will fund Smart Moves. Horwath didn't have an
exact cost but said it is very minimal.

Vassar's officers will train with the Bay City Police Department in early
January as they teach the course there.