COACHES GO TO BAT FOR REINSTATEMENT OF THE DARE PROGRAM

A team effort to restore DARE Officer James Bowen to educating
primary school students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse
is swinging into action by youth sports officials. Proponents are
seeking sponsors to support restoring DARE with placard displays at
recreation fields throughout Weymouth. A petition drive is also
underway by DARE supporters to Town Council to restore the program.

Bob's Collision is displaying a placard to support DARE at Fulton School Field.

"I think it's a great program for kids," Daryl Cugini, an employee
with Bob's Collision Center, said as he looked at a placard Bob's is
displaying at Fulton School's ball field. "The DARE officer is
somebody the kids can talk to."

DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, has been absent from
Weymouth primary schools since 2003. State budget cutbacks by
lawmakers dried up funding for DARE when a yearly $13,000 grant and a
$2,000 bonus for the program was eliminated. Approximately 6,000
students graduated from DARE over a nine-year period until it ended
three years ago.

South Weymouth Youth Baseball League coach Doug Folson said DARE is
needed in Weymouth because Bowen can communicate the dangers of
substance abuse to children.

"Officer Bowen would walk into a class and proclaim, 'what's the
word,' and the kids would say, 'respect,'" Folson said. "He'd then
say remember the word and the kids would say, respect. When he had to
leave the room, he asked the kids again, 'what's the word,' and
they'd say 'respect.'"

He also said Bowen would reinforce his anti-drug message by appearing
at youth events.

"Jim often organized things for the kids on his own time," Folson
said. "He organized a cruise to George's Island every summer. He also
organized other outings for kids on his own time."

Support for Bowen is boldly stated on a placard at a Fulton
concession stand. The sign proclaims; "DARE, Remember The Word.
Respect. Bring Back the DARE Program, Thanks Officer James Bowen."

Folson said support for restoring DARE is growing throughout Weymouth.

"I've asked Jack Serafini, president of the Weymouth Youth Football
and Cheerleaders league, to support DARE and he said yes," Folson
said. "We're hoping other sports teams in other leagues will do the
same and encourage others to sponsor signs at the fields."

He said proponents for DARE hope to encourage Town Council to restore
funding to it.

District 3 Councilor Kenneth DiFazio said if there is strong support
for having DARE restored, it should be considered by the council.

"The school department and police have indicated it's not an
efficient program," he said on Friday. "We need to find out why it
isn't. We also need to investigate why people want DARE and why the
police don't think it's important."

Police Chief James Thomas said he would be glad to restore DARE if
funding is available, but said the program's message appears to lack
a continuing influence with children as they grow older.

"The bottom line is financing," he said on Monday. "I just lost
funding for two vacant police positions for the upcoming fiscal year.
I need more patrol officers out on the street. DARE officer Jim Bowen
did a great job with the program, but I can't afford to fund it. It's
an unfortunate set of financial circumstances we are in. We are not
the only town to lose DARE. Some affluent communities no longer have
the program."

He said DARE reaches pre-teens with its message to stay away from
drugs and alcohol, but its effectiveness seems to wane as children
become teens.

"There certainly is an immediate impact by DARE on the younger age
group," Thomas said. "But the staying power of DARE seems to get lost
down the road with the kids. Education is a reinforcing process.
DARE's message is a great message to get out there, but to keep the
message out there, you have to spend more money and that means hiring
more officers. I maintain the best teachers of preventing drug and
alcohol abuse are teachers and parents."

Thomas's view is also shared by Mayor David M. Madden, a school
committee member.

"When we decided not pick up the funding for the DARE program, we
made the decision based on the belief that much of the DARE material
was being covered in the health care courses at the schools," Madden
said on Monday.

"That was a major consideration when DARE was dropped." He also
said the town's $121.1 million proposed budget does not have room for
restoring programs because finances are tight.

School Committee Chairman Sean L. Guifoyle said the school
department's proposed $54.3 million budget does not have funds for
adding additional programs.

"Officer Bowen did a wonderful job, but I don't believe funding can
be found just by looking at r this year's budget," he said. "Private
funding might be used to support it. It was a fantastic program."