UNION SLAMS DRUG EDUCATION PLAN

THE APPROVAL of a parent-championed anti-drug program raises troubling
questions on who decides what children are taught in the classroom, the
Terrace teachers' union says.

The school board approved the program last week, after hearing a final
pitch from a parent group, prompting the union representing teachers in
Terrace, Kitwanga, Hazelton and Stewart to file a grievance.

In doing so, the board ended years of debate between local teachers and
proponents of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, Program.

The Terrace and District Teachers' Union has long argued the 16-lesson
program, taught inside classrooms by uniformed police officers, violates
the collective agreement.

"Our position is you need a qualified teacher to teach the DARE
curriculum," TDTU president Frank Rowe said. "You can come into our schools
any time you like. You just don't come in and do our jobs."

Rowe said the board's June 4 decision also violates the School Act because
it means an outside group is being allowed to determine what will be taught
inside classrooms.

TDTU president-elect Richard Eckert said the decision raises concerns about
community groups imposing curriculum on schools.

"During this whole debate, teachers have been coming up with rational and
reasonable arguments," Eckert said.

What happened last week, he said, just proves people who yell the loudest
get their way.

"They said, 'We want it, so we're going to get it'," Eckert said. "That's
what happened."

A District Parent Advisory Council delegation asked the board to implement
DARE, even though the district's education committee failed to endorse the
program May 15. Instead, the committee recommended the district develop its
own drug and alcohol awareness program.

DPAC representatives came away from that three-hour-long discussion
determined to push for DARE, treasurer Linda Marshall recently told the
Terrace Standard.

"We have very strongly said this is what we want," she said. "The union is
saying 'No'."

Board vice chair Peter King moved to implement DARE where the necessary
resources - trained DARE instructors - are available.

The Terrace RCMP detachment currently has two members who have received the
DARE training, meaning it can be offered here as soon as September.

"My feeling on the DARE program is anything is better than nothing," King
said, adding the district does have some programs, but he doesn't think
they go far enough.

"Until something better comes along, I think we should proceed with it," he
said. "At the end of the day it's up to the board to make a decision. You
always hope that you have a buy-in from everyone."

The DARE program was developed in Los Angeles to deal with drug and
gang-related problems in schools. It's now expanded to nearly 30 countries
across the world and is taught in neighbouring school districts.

Two private schools in Terrace, Centennial Christian School and Veritas
School, have used the DARE program.

It's targeted at the Grade 5 and 6 level and covers drug and alcohol use,
violence, and issues of self esteem, topics the teachers' union says are in
some cases covered by existing initiatives.