DISTRICT TO DISCONTINUE SHERIFF'S DRUG-ABUSE EDUCATION PROGRAM

VISTA -- A Sheriff's Department anti-drug program for fifth graders will be
discontinued at Vista Unified School District campuses next school year,
district officials said Tuesday.

The department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program has been a feature
at Vista elementary schools since 1990. DARE, as the program is popularly
called, eventually will be replaced with a federally-approved program geared
to a broader range of elementary-school-aged students, said Gayle Olson, the
district's director of student support services.

The decision to eliminate the program is tied to the federal Department of
Education's national No Child Left Behind strategy. As part of that
strategy, grant money from the federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and
Communities program must be used on federally-endorsed programs.

DARE, which has long generated debate among educators over its
effectiveness, is not among the approaches on the federal list and also is
limited to fifth graders, Olson said.

"We are committed to doing this the right way and using a scientifically
research-based program," Olson said. "DARE is not one of them. We're looking
for programs that show effectiveness and positive results."

Fifth-grade teachers said Tuesday they lamented the loss of the program and
the expertise of DARE officer, Deputy Paul Rose, in particular.

"This program makes a big impact on our students because it helps with
self-esteem issues and it helps them understand how to take care of
themselves as young adults," said teacher Elizabeth Kant at Breeze Hill
Elementary. "They develop a very positive relationship with a police
officer, so they see him as a real person. They are not afraid or
intimidated by him and they see him as a friend."

Teacher Ranae Mathias at Lake Elementary School, one of several Vista
Unified schools in Oceanside, said the DARE officers conveyed realistic
information to students that isn't available to most parents and teachers.
She said her daughter graduated from the program and she was looking forward
to her son going through it at Bobier Elementary School.

"As a parent, I think the officer covers a lot of issues that we can't cover
as teachers," Mathias said. "We don't have the knowledge of the street drugs
and the things happening on the streets that the officer does. He's able to
say, this is the real story. This is what it really does to you, and that's
not only with drugs, but tobacco, alcohol, violence and gang activity."

Deputy Rose wasn't on campus this week because he is at an out-of-town
conference. Lt. Grant Burnett at the Vista Sheriff's Station said the
district had notified the department that the program would be discontinued.

The school district offered the program through a collaboration with the
city. The school put in $61,331 a year from its federal grant, while the
city kicked in about $50,000, Assistant City Manager Rick Dudley said.