Pubdate: Wed, 01 Nov 2000
Source: Green Bay News-Chronicle (WI)
Copyright: 2000 Green Bay News-Chronicle
Contact:  P.O. Box 2467, Green Bay WI 54306
Fax: 920-432-8581
Website: http://www.greenbaynewschron.com/
Author: Leigh Ann Wagner Kroening

DARE'S WORTH WAS QUESTIONED BEFORE CUTS

A Brown County Committee Has Voted To Reduce The Prevention Program By Half

[Photo caption - DARE officer Kevin VandenHeuvel talks to students during 
DARE graduation ceremonies at Kennedy Elementary School last spring (photo 
by H. Marc Larson).]

Drug Abuse Resistance Education officers are feeding children 
misinformation and turning them against their parents, according to the 
director of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for the 
Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

The Green Bay woman, who asked for personal reasons that her name not be 
used, said police officers wearing uniforms and guns exaggerate the effects 
of marijuana use, while not giving enough attention to harder, more 
dangerous drugs.

"The DARE program is a lie," the NORML director said. "I don't want my tax 
dollars supporting it."

But Brown County and school district officials say the program is an 
effective deterrent to the spread of drug abuse.

DARE is a prevention program taught to students in schools nationwide. The 
Brown County DARE program started in Wrightstown in 1990 and is now taught 
in 57 public and parochial schools in the county.

The County Board's Public Safety Committee recommended Monday that two of 
the Sheriff's Departments four full-time DARE officers be eliminated from 
the tight 2001 county budget, at a savings of $140,000. The full board 
considers the budget Nov. 13.

Over 16 weeks, the DARE officers teach a weekly core curriculum to fifth- 
and sixth-graders, and a DARE middle school program is taught to seventh- 
and eighth-graders.

Students learn the effects of mind-altering drugs and the consequences of 
alcohol and marijuana use. They also discuss how to reduce and avoid 
violence, risky behaviors and peer pressure, while learning the importance 
of self-esteem, assertiveness and choosing positive peers and role models.

Brown County Sheriff's Capt. Clyde Cribb, who heads the DARE program, said 
the course is not meant to exaggerate the effects of any drug, including 
marijuana. DARE officers discuss the harmful effects of marijuana just as 
they do for alcohol and all other drugs, he said. "I don't think the 
problems with marijuana are overexaggerated," Cribb said. "It is a problem 
when young people are using a substance that's illegal."

Turning In Mom And Dad

The local NORML representative said parents are given very little 
information about the program or any involvement in that aspect of their 
child's education. The officers use propaganda and promises to get students 
to do their police work for them, and sometimes that includes turning their 
parents in for drug use, she said.

"Basically, the police buddy up with the kids, but it's only to find out 
what they know," she said. "The kids are being used as snitches."

Cribb acknowledged some students have revealed to officers their parents' 
involvement with drugs. The students trust the officers, and the 
information comes out during discussions in the class, he said.

"DARE officers build a relationship with students, and sometimes students 
can be quite honest," Cribb said. "We know very well that some of the kids 
in the DARE class have parents who use drugs. We can tell that sometimes 
just by the things students say when they talk to the DARE officers."

Cribb said children who grow up in homes with parents who use drugs are 
more likely themselves to use drugs. DARE teaches students the harmful 
effects of drugs and encourages them to choose not to use them, he said.

"Hopefully with something like DARE we can counter that influence," Cribb 
said. "We hope to get them to stay away from drugs and not be like their 
parents."

The NORML director said drug use is a serious subject that should be taught 
as part of an "honest drug education by professionals, not police."

"The DARE officers basically emphasize putting people down who smoke or use 
marijuana," she said. "I don't think they're qualified. A subject such as 
this should be taught in health class by teachers, not police in full 
uniforms with guns."

Schools Like The Program

Sue Todey, director of student services for Green Bay Area Public Schools, 
said teachers do lead drug prevention lessons in healthand regular classes. 
The harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol are taught to kindergartners, 
and lessons about marijuana and harder drugs are introduced to older 
students, she said.

Todey said DARE is not turning children into little police officers. The 
program is meant to foster a positive relationship between students and 
police officers, while reinforcing a drug prevention message already being 
taught by teachers and parents, she said.

"It sends students a message that an entire community is against drug use," 
Todey said. "The officers are another resource. They're reinforcing the 
message the teachers are sending and vice versa."

Cribb said the officers have proven themselves to be competent instructors. 
The program has gotten positive feedback from school officials and the 
teachers who share their classrooms with the officers, he said.

"Teachers sometimes evaluate the officer and whether he or she is a good 
instructor," Cribb said. "They've seen over the years how the DARE officers 
have become better teachers and better instructors." Cribb said students 
enjoy the DARE program. The interactive course includes role playing and 
extra-curricular activities and is a break from the regular curriculum, he 
said.

"I've been in the classroom on occasions and watched the DARE officers 
teach," Cribb said. "The DARE officers do serve as role models to the 
students, and they do develop a positive relationship with the students. 
For the most part, in the classes I've attended, the students look very 
much forward to the DARE class once a week."

Controversy Is National

Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, said a study published 
in the August 1999 issue of the American Psychological Association's 
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found the DARE program has no 
long-term effect on adolescent drug use.

Researchers tracked more than 1,000 students who participated in the DARE 
program in the sixth grade. The students were re-evaluated at age 20. 
According to the study, the program initially influenced the students' 
perceptions toward drug use, but the changes did not persist over time.

"DARE is a dismal failure, and nearly every one of the numerous government 
reviews say the program is ineffective," St. Pierre said.

Todey said the school district has made recommendations based on the 
results of the studies. The district plans to increase parental involvement 
in the program and implement additional activities to reinforce the DARE 
message, she said.

Cribb said studies tend to "pick on DARE" because it's the largest drug 
prevention program in the country. The program does have its weaknesses, 
such as not having a follow-up course for the high school level, and the 
result is a lack of reinforcement during a time when the pressure to do 
drugs is at its peak, he said.

"It's not just DARE," Cribb said. "I don't care what prevention program you 
have. If you don't have reinforcement or you don't have follow up, it's not 
going to be as successful as maybe it could be."

Despite some negativity surrounding the national program, Cribb said the 
Brown County DARE officers have success stories to tell. The program is 
doing its part to help steer children away from drugs, but parents and 
community members also have a role to play, he said.

"DARE alone certainly cannot in itself reduce drug use," Cribb said. "DARE 
is only part of the solution. You've heard the saying, 'It takes a village 
to raise a child.' There's a lot of truth in that."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens