Pubdate: Tue, 20 May 2003 Source: Virginian-Pilot (VA) Contact: 2003, The Virginian-Pilot Website: http://www.pilotonline.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/483 Author: Kerry Dougherty PORTSMOUTH SHOULD DARE TO KEEP KIDS IN PROGRAM Few things matter more to 13-year-old boys than looking cool. Don't believe me? Try outfitting these peer-conscious, middle-school males in crisp khaki shorts and matching golf shirts. No way. That said, one measure of the effectiveness and relevancy of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is that my son, who walks around with a Billabong surf cap permanently attached to his head, still wears his DARE T-shirt. From elementary school. More than just a fashion statement, DARE planted some strong anti-drug, anti-tobacco seeds in my kid's head. I water them every chance I get. Last weekend, for instance, my son was itching to blow his birthday dough on a new video game. This is often an occasion for disagreement. I cringed as he gravitated toward the hugely controversial ``Grand Theft Auto.'' Then he surprised me. Even though some of his friends play ``Grand Theft,'' he didn't want it. ``I think it has some drug content,'' my son said, knowledgably. Bless you, DARE. I'm no expert on this program that brings law-enforcement officers into the classroom to teach fifth-graders about drugs. Some studies claim it is effective in preventing drug abuse. Others say it's not. The way I look at it, DARE can't hurt. Parents need all the help they can get to counteract the permissive messages regarding drugs that kids are bombarded with from movies, music and the rest of the media. Fifth grade is the perfect time for this. These 10- and 11-year-olds are mature enough to understand what's being taught, yet young enough - -- one hopes, anyway -- to have little first-hand experience with controlled substances. ``DARE teaches kids how to recognize and resist the direct and subtle pressure . . . to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs,'' declares a blurb on DARE's Web site. ``And since 70 to 90 percent of all crime is drug-related, it is absolutely vital that we reach the children of America before it's too late.'' That said, I was stunned to learn that Portsmouth schools are scrapping the DARE program next year. This, in a city that recently experienced a sharp increase in drug-related crime. In a July 2002 news story about drug problems in Portsmouth, The Pilot said, ``Reported incidents of crimes related to drug possession and sales . . . have nearly doubled in two years. . . . And street-trafficking of cocaine and heroin increased in 2001.'' Portsmouth's drug problem was so severe that it was one of just three cities selected by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for inclusion in the agency's first Integrated Drug Enforcement Assistance program last year. Initially, Portsmouth school officials said they were dumping the DARE program due to a lack of funds. Then Portsmouth Sheriff Gary W. Waters said he'd absorb the $80,000 tab, even if it meant some staffing shortages. ``It's going to make it a little rougher for our deputies in the jail,'' the sheriff told me on Monday. ``But a lot of our deputies have kids of their own. . . . We believe in this program.'' Nevertheless, the new school superintendent -- who questions the effectiveness of DARE -- declined the offer. The school district can't afford for its fifth-graders to miss 14 hours of instruction just before they take the SOLs, he said in a news story last weekend. When I spoke with Superintendent David C. Stuckwisch on Monday, he said he'd be willing to let DARE into the K-2 program or sixth, seventh or eighth grades. But he was not willing to lose prime instruction time for his fifth-graders. ``It's a matter of priorities,'' he said. ``My No. 1 objective coming into Portsmouth was to get all of our schools accredited.'' He's right. It is a matter of priorities. A successful school district turns out students who are academically sharp, honest and decent. And sober. The sheriff found the resources for DARE. The schools should find the time. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek