DISTRICT TAKING A D.A.R.E. IN VIDOR

Former City Police Chief Brings Drug Prevention Program Back

VIDOR - Because a teenager using illegal narcotics is not something any
school administrator wishes to see, the Vidor school district has brought
back the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program to try to reach students
at a younger age.

The D.A.R.E. program was originally taught in area schools by two certified
officers within the Orange County Sheriff's Department, however, on Sept.
13, 2004, Orange County Commissioners officially abolished it, according to
the county clerk's office.

The two officers were moved to other areas of the sheriff's department, and
the D.A.R.E. program closed in Orange County.

But that will change this year, Sally Kirkpatrick, director of community
relations for the Vidor school district, said.

"The program will be taught for two days during the week for an entire
semester for our fifthgrade students at Vidor Middle School," Kirkpatrick
said. "Children in the first semester will take the D.A.R.E. class instead
of art and will take art the second semester."

Classes will be taught by Jerry Parker, captain of the district's police
and former Vidor police chief and assistant police chief.

"I will be teaching three classes a day for two days a week over a 12 week
period in the semesters," Parker said. "Actually, the D.A.R.E. program only
lasts 10 weeks, but we are also going to integrate dealing with bullying
for two weeks."

Parker said he actually completed the training for D.A.R.E. certification
last year, but Hurricane Rita's interruption would have resulted in only a
portion of fifth-graders being taught.

Ray Moseley, chief of the school district police department, said the
decision to bring back D.A.R.E. was a mutual decision between the
department and district administrators.

"We were looking for some sort of drug prevention program that we could
begin teaching to the younger students," he said. "I looked up the
requirements to teach the D.A.R.E. curriculum and it was something that we
could do. It is extremely important to start these programs early and get
kids educated at an early age about the effects of drug abuse."

Moseley said the department will also receive grant money from the state to
educate about the harmful effects of tobacco.

"We plan to begin integrating teaching this in the health classes of all
the schools," he said.

Kirkpatrick said D.A.R.E. always garnered community support when being done
by the sheriff's department, and she feels the fifth-graders will be in
good hands with Parker teaching.

"He (Jerry) knows what he is talking about and is very good at relating to
kids," she said. "He is very good at answering their questions. He is very
well respected in the community and will do a good job."