Pubdate: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 Source: Okotoks Western Wheel (CN AB) Copyright: 2002, Okotoks Western Wheel Contact: http://www.westernwheel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1638 Author: Darlene Casten Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) TOWN FORGES AHEAD TO FIND INSTRUCTOR FOR DARE WORKS! The local DARE Works! Society is hopeful that they are one step closer to hiring a part-time instructor to teach their anti-drug and anti-bullying curriculum. The Town of Okotoks has been lobbying the provincial Solicitor General's office for over nine months to approve a part-time position on behalf of the DARE Works! Society. Local RCMP member Cst. Geoff Carpenter is currently delivering the DARE curriculum to Grade 6 students in the Foothills School Division (FSD). DARE Works! is looking to expand its program to reach Grade 8 students but will need a part-time staff member to take over some Grade 6 classes from Carpenter. Lori Czerwinski, executive director of the DARE Works! Society, said expanding the program to include Grade 8 students will help reinforce what was taught to students in elementary school. She said statistics show that the effectiveness of the DARE curriculum greatly increases if it is followed up every two years. 'By Grade 8 students are even more vulnerable to peer pressure,' Czerwinski explained. 'The real key is to catch the Grade 6 students who have already taken the program.' DARE Works! has been offering the DARE curriculum in local schools for four years. The town is under pressure to find a new instructor soon as training for DARE instructors is only offered twice a year. With the next training session being held in mid-November the new instructor needs to be hired and approved by the Solicitor General's office in the next three weeks. DARE Works! Society members approached the town late last year with a proposal that the town hire a special constable to work primarily as an instructor for DARE but also would be qualified to work for the town. DARE Canada requires that instructors of their curriculum be sanctioned to uphold the law, have two years previous police experience and be a uniformed officer. The special constable would in turn be paid by the DARE Works! Society. Council agreed unanimously to support the proposal and has since sent two letters to the Solicitor General's office asking for their approval of the special constable position. Judy McKay, the assistant director of prevention programs and policing services for the Solicitor General's office, has responded negatively to the proposal twice. McKay indicated that the approval for hiring a bylaw enforcement officer is based on enforcement needs of the town. Municipal Manager Will Pearce said he doesn't understand why the Solicitor General's office is willing to approve the use of RCMP officers who also serve the enforcement needs of the community, but will not approve the hiring of a special constable for the same purpose. Despite the two prior rejections, the town has gone ahead with the hiring process and interviewed candidates last week. 'We are trying a different approach,' Czerwinski said. 'We are going through the interview process so we will have a name to submit (to the Solicitor General).' Pearce said the town has good reason to be optimistic that the position will be approved this time. At an Alberta Urban Municipality Association (AUMA) earlier this year an Okotoks town councillor asked Solicitor General Heather Forsythe why the DARE Works! instructor position had been turned down, Pearce said. According to Pearce, Forsythe responded that her approval of the DARE Works! instructor was contingent on the results of an Alberta Learning review of the DARE program. When questioned further Forsythe responded that if the Alberta Learning review was favorable she would approve the proposed DARE Works! position. Since the AUMA conference Czerwinski was told by a Learning Ministry staff member that the review has concluded and the DARE program received favorable commendations. Pearce hopes that with the favorable review by the Ministry of Learning and the hiring of a qualified candidate the town and the DARE Works! Society will get the approval they seek. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth