Pubdate: Wed, 09 Apr 2003
Source: Daily Herald (IL)
Copyright: 2003 The Daily Herald Company
Contact:  http://www.dailyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/107
Author: James Fuller

DARE TO DROP DARE?

The program graduates thousands of children every year. The state has spent 
millions of tax dollars in training and materials. School districts devote 
hours of would-be class time to it every year.

And now, the state of Illinois says all of it was for a program that 
doesn't work.

Various studies have taken shots at the Drug Abuse Resistance Education 
program for years, saying it has no significant impact on preventing drug 
use. At least one study even suggested DARE program participants actually 
had a greater chance of using drugs.

DARE America has always defended its program and has recently worked to 
improve materials to make it more effective. Never has the government 
supported either view. Until now.

Buried in the pages of Illinois' No Child Left Behind legislation is a call 
to end DARE funding after one year, citing the claim that the program has 
"not demonstrated science-based effectiveness." Local governments would 
have to fund and train officers through DARE America on their own. DARE 
officers now are trained by Illinois State Police.

Former Deputy Governor for Education Hazel Loucks said the decision to cut 
DARE was more of a budget call than a move necessitated by No Child Left 
Behind.

"Last year, there were some national questions about DARE and whether it 
was doing what it was supposed to do," Loucks said. "It wasn't worth the 
expenditure. Well, better to cut that than something that works."

Those decisions were made by the administrative team of former Gov. George 
Ryan, leaving the door open for DARE funding to return if current Gov. Rod 
Blagojevich's team wants to save the program and can find the cash.

Staff in the governor's Springfield office are cognizant of the DARE 
funding situation and said there has been some talk about reinstating some 
funding. However, all those funds depend on the ability of the governor to 
plug a $4.8ebillion budget deficit.

Illinois State Police spokesman Sgt. Lincoln Hampton said the program has 
funding through October of this year and officers are still receiving DARE 
training.

"It's really kind of a difficult situation," Hampton said. "Our budget 
hasn't been determined yet. It's kind of tough to speak for an 
administration that hasn't made any decision on that yet."

The Illinois State Board of Education, which oversees the requirements of 
the No Child Left Behind legislation, said they have no idea what the 
future of the DARE program is or how many schools would be affected.

The education agency doesn't specifically recommend DARE to any schools. 
Rather it defers to what is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. School districts are not bound by that list.

"We haven't taken a specific position on the DARE program," said Lee 
Milner, state board of education spokesman.

The funding debate hasn't escaped local governments and police departments 
that actually bring the DARE program into schools.

In Elgin, about 1,800 students go through the program every year. But with 
funding gone, the police department is taking a look at the DARE program as 
a possible budget cut, reasoning that it is not as essential as patrolling 
the streets.

Schools in St. Charles debated the issue of cutting DARE to save $44,000 of 
budget money last April. Likewise, Des Plaines toyed with DARE elimination 
to help with its local budget. It was hotly contested by local schools.

The sentiment is just the opposite in Wheeling, where there are no 
doubters. The village police department has completely absorbed the costs 
of the DARE program into its budget because the belief in the impact of the 
program is so high. Four officers perform DARE activities as part of their 
regular duties, each at a different elementary school

Cmdr. Jim Kuzynowski said DARE isn't going away any time soon.

"This is from the heart," he said. "We feel the DARE program has been very 
successful. Any time you can get to the kids and make them feel comfortable 
with a police officer, it's a positive thing. We are committed to 
continuing DARE in Wheeling."

An update on the future of DARE programs should come after the governor's 
budget address today.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart