Students in and around Detroit may no longer have a popular anti-drug program to educate them this school year. DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) has been a mainstay in schools across the country. Police officers teach children from kindergarten through 12th grade about the risks of using drugs and alcohol, and how to resist peer pressure. The ten week course costs $12 per student through the K-12 years. The cost, though minimal for a 13 year program, is the main reason why many school systems are dropping the DARE.
Another reason the DARE program is in jeopardy is because fewer police departments can afford to provide two officers to run the classes. Those once assigned to DARE are now needed to patrol the streets, or in other areas of the police department. The poor economy has also impacted the DARE program as fundraising profits are down, and fewer donations are coming in.
Opponents claim that the DARE’s curriculum is outdated, but DARE has revised its materials and practices. Another criticism is that the ten-week- ten-lesson program is too long. Michigan State Police are using another program called TEAM (Teaching, Educating And Mentoring) which provides anti-drug education in one lesson. Warren, Michigan Police Commissioner William Dwyer claims that Dare’s curriculum is “inflexible.” Dwyer believes that, “Drug awareness programs tailored to each community are more effective.” Dwyer, who created the Teaching-Helping-Involving-Noticing-Kids (THINK) program while serving as police chief in another area, has proposed cutting DARE’s funding in Warren.
DARE’s program is used in almost three-quarters of school districts in America, and in 43 countries. DARE has many supporters who do not want to see the program fall by the wayside. DARE’s track record for educating children about the dangers and consequences of substance abuse is praised by parents, teachers and students alike. With prisons and jails filled with inmates convicted on drug charges, some see DARE as a program vital to a child’s education, and well-being.
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