Pubdate: Tue, 07 Aug 2001
Source: Spartanburg Herald Journal (SC)
Copyright: 2001 The Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Contact:  http://www.goupstate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/977
Author: Baker Maultsby, Staff Writer

D.A.R.E. PROGRAM PHASED OUT LOCALLY

Go to any school lunchroom, mall or playground in America, and you're 
likely to see the T-shirt: "D.A.R.E."To Resist Drugs and Violence."  Drug 
Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) has become a common experience, an 
educational rite of passage, for a generation of American kids. Lauded for 
its efforts to steer kids on the brink of adolescence away from trouble, 
D.A.R.E. was honored this past spring by President George W. Bush, who 
declared April 12 "National D.A.R.E. Day."

But, despite its presidential endorsement, D.A.R.E., which puts law 
enforcement officers into fifth-grade classrooms to lead drug and violence 
prevention activities, is on the way out in Spartanburg County schools -- 
the result of questions by funding providers about the program's success 
coupled with the expansion of similar school-based strategies.

Sheriff's Lt. Ron Gahagan confirmed that Spartanburg County school 
districts partnering with the Sheriff's Office have chosen not to re-sign 
D.A.R.E. contracts. District 7, which worked with the City of Spartanburg 
Public Safety Department, has cut the program, as well.

The effectiveness nationwide of D.A.R.E. as a drug abuse prevention 
strategy long has been challenged by critics, and the federal government's 
support for the program has waned in the past two years.

A federal grant called "Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities" 
provides funding to districts across the nation for the purpose of drug 
abuse and crime prevention. Before last school year, local districts got 
the word the grants were not to be used for D.A.R.E., according to Calvin 
Jackson, Deputy Superintendent of the State Department of Education.

Jackson said that since President Bush's inauguration, the federal 
government has backed off its refusal to fund D.A.R.E. But federal support 
remains in limbo, he said.

Dissatisfaction with the program was not cited by local school officials. 
Funding decisions, however, did lead some to dump D.A.R.E.

Brenda Story, coordinator of student services for District 7, said local 
dollars funded D.A.R.E. last year, but budget cuts hit the program this 
time around. So the district will use its "Safe and Drug Free" money, along 
with other grants, to beef up other programs.

Story, who says she was a fan of D.A.R.E., is working with the Public 
Safety Department to develop a classroom strategy called "KOOL" -- Kids and 
Officers Observing Life. Public Safety officers will talk with sixth 
graders about conflict resolution, decision-making, peer pressure and the law.

Another program used in District 7 and other districts is the Second Steps 
Violence Prevention Program, which teaches kids in grades K-4 study skills, 
character development, conflict resolution and drug prevention strategies.

Second Steps is seen by some school officials as a good alternative to D.A.R.E.

"I think it's a more comprehensive program," said Ed Simpson, assistant 
superintendent for personnel and pupil services in District 3, where 
youngsters will also take part in Second Steps.

Meanwhile, the school resource officer program continues to grow. The 
Sheriff's Office has deputies working in each district in the county. The 
officers perform a wide range of functions at schools where they work, from 
charging students with crime to mediating conflicts among students to 
teaching lessons on the dangers of drugs.

Most of the county's school resource officers are trained to teach D.A.R.E. 
lessons. That experience will be put to use in programs like Second Steps.

All of which seems to indicate that even as D.A.R.E. -- the nation's single 
most visible partnership between schools and law enforcement -- is on the 
way out locally, cops will be as active in schools as ever. And it appears 
that federal and state grants, as well as money from private foundations, 
will see to it that public schools and law enforcement remain closely linked.

And that's a good thing, say officials on both sides.

"We think the presence of law enforcement gives kids a positive feeling," 
said Joyce Lipscomb, operations analyst with the Spartanburg Public Safety 
Department. "It's good for youngsters to have a positive experience with 
officers at an early age."

Story made her appreciation for the role local law enforcement plays with 
her students clear: "The Public Safety Department is our very best 
partner," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom