DARE DISPLACES BASIC SKILLS TEACHING

To the Editor:

In response to the letter Sept. 27 from Elizabeth Sinclair Cady entitled,
"DARE Gives Kids Positive Reinforcement," I can no longer stand by and
watch our educational system become watered down with
politically-motivated, "feel-good" courses.

Each school day is only six hours long. In that time, schools are expected
to teach a myriad of subjects. For each new subject that comes along, one
must be discarded.

DARE's goals are admirable - to try to teach our youth to make responsible
choices. But is this the responsibility of the school system? When I went
through public schools, their mission was to educate children for college
or employment. Teaching concepts such as responsibility, self-esteem,
values, etc., was the parent's job.

We currently have children who can't read at or near grade level. They
can't locate their own town on a map or perform simple mathematical
calculations. Might it be because their days are full of courses that have
little to do with basic skills?

Since DARE has been shown not to reduce the number of children who later
become criminals, the police resources spent on this program are simply
wasted. Cady notes the benefit of using law enforcement officials as role
models. If the police who currently teach the DARE program were out walking
a beat in the area's neighborhoods, wouldn't this accomplish the same
thing, while also allowing these officers to perform their police duties?

Whenever you hear someone calling for more "education" on a political
topic, think about what the children will not be taught!

Bill Lazure

East Syracuse