D.A.R.E is a collaborative effort by D.A.R.E.-certified law
enforcement officers, educators, students, parents and the community to offer an
educational program in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and
violence among children and youth. The emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to help students
recognize and resist the many direct and subtle pressures that influence them to
experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants and other drugs or to
engage in violence.
D.A.R.E. in Moorhead had its start in the 6th grade core
curriculum in 1990. As of now, D.A.R.E. is taught in all schools, including
private schools, in Moorhead. The Moorhead Police Department has instructed
approximately 7,000 5th or 6th grade students with the D.A.R.E. core curriculum;
over 5,000 middle students will have completed the middle program; and a
D.A.R.E. officer will have visited with over 10,000 elementary students. We will
have also instructed over 10,000 high school students of the dangers of drugs
and affect violence has on the whole community.
Each year the D.A.R.E. officers also make hundreds of community
presentations to service groups, college classes, neighborhood groups, and other
interested community members.
The success of the D.A.R.E program in our community has been
obvious by the support we have received from the community. Putting a D.A.R.E.
officer in our schools has been a great benefit to the Moorhead Police
Department in our community policing effort. Our department relies on donations
from the community to support our program by assisting in the purchase of
supplies for the program.
Over the years the program has been taught by: Officer David
Miller, Lt. Chris Carey, Sgt. Deric Swenson and Bill Bergquist, now the Clay
County Sheriff. Currently, our program is taught by Youth Education Officer Val
Kellen. School Resource Officers Brian Dahl and Jeff Nelson also assist in
teaching the program.
To learn more about our D.A.R.E. program or schedule a
presentation, please e-mail Officer Val Kellen using the contact form or call (218) 790-4232. Also, visit the
program's national web sites:
This year 36 million school children around the world--26 million in the
U.S.--will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly
acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in
drugs, gangs,
and violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so
successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation's school
districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. D.A.R.E. is a police
officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten
through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and
violence-free lives.
The Launching of D.A.R.E. America Overwhelming national and
international demand for D.A.R.E. led to the creation of D.A.R.E. America, a
national non-profit organization. D.A.R.E. America serves as a resource to
communities, helping to establish and improve local D.A.R.E. programs. D.A.R.E.
America provides officer training, supports the development and evaluation of
the D.A.R.E. curriculum, provides student educational materials, monitors
instruction standards and program results, and creates national awareness for
D.A.R.E.
Specially Trained Cops Assigned D.A.R.E. Classroom "Beats"
The D.A.R.E. curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers whose
training and experience give them the background needed to answer the
sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime.
Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, officers undergo 80 hours of special
training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching
techniques, and communication skills. 40 hours of additional training are
provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school
curriculum.
D.A.R.E. Receives High Marks From America's Leaders
Presidential administrations, governors, members of congress, and state
legislators have praised D.A.R.E. Since 1988, Presidential Proclamation declares
one day each year National D.A.R.E. Day. State legislatures have joined with the
President and Congress by proclaiming D.A.R.E. day within their respective
states.
D.A.R.E. Training is Unique D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional
drug abuse and violence prevention programs. It gives children the skills needed
to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to
experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities.
D.A.R.E. is Community Policing D.A.R.E. is universally viewed
as an internationally recognized model of community policing. The United States
Department of Justice has identified how D.A.R.E. benefits local communities:
D.A.R.E. "humanizes" the police: that is, young people can begin to relate to
officers as people. D.A.R.E. permits students to see officers in a helping role,
not just an enforcement role. D.A.R.E. opens lines of communication between law
enforcement and youth. D.A.R.E. Officers can serve as conduits to provide
information beyond drug-related topics. D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between the
school, police, and parents to deal with other issues.
The New D.A.R.E. Classroom Lessons: Never satisfied, D.A.R.E.
America is moving forward with an even better and improved D.A.R.E. program. In
fact, it is in the tenth revision of the program. Recognizing that no other
school-based program possesses the delivery system of D.A.R.E., the prestigious
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided a generous grant to the University
of Akron to develop and test a new D.A.R.E. curriculum. This new state-of-the
art substance abuse prevention curriculum will be tested and evaluated over a
five-year period with over 50,000 students in six U.S. cities. The goal is to
design and test the next generation of science-based program.
For more information on the DARE evaluation process.
D.A.R.E is a collaborative effort by D.A.R.E.-certified law
enforcement officers, educators, students, parents and the community to offer an
educational program in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and
violence among children and youth. The emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to help students
recognize and resist the many direct and subtle pressures that influence them to
experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants and other drugs or to
engage in violence.
Each year the D.A.R.E. officers also make hundreds of community
presentations to service groups, college classes, neighborhood groups, and other
interested community members.
The New D.A.R.E. Classroom Lessons: Never satisfied, D.A.R.E.
America is moving forward with an even better and improved D.A.R.E. program. In
fact, it is in the tenth revision of the program. Recognizing that no other
school-based program possesses the delivery system of D.A.R.E., the prestigious
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided a generous grant to the University
of Akron to develop and test a new D.A.R.E. curriculum. This new state-of-the
art substance abuse prevention curriculum will be tested and evaluated over a
five-year period with over 50,000 students in six U.S. cities. The goal is to
design and test the next generation of science-based program.