Pubdate: Wed, 15 May 2002
Source: Cleveland Daily Banner (TN)
Copyright: 2002 Cleveland Daily Banner
Contact:  http://www.clevelandbanner.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/947
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

DARE PROGRAM IS HUGE BENEFIT TO LOCAL STUDENTS

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, known as DARE is a structured 
educational program that began in the Los Angeles school system several 
years ago.

Since its inception, DARE has been adopted in numerous communities across 
the United States and many foreign countries. The program provides 
information about drugs, violence resistance, gang resistance, teaches 
decision-making skills, improving students' self-esteem and showing ways to 
resist drug use and peer pressure. The program in presented by sworn police 
officers in uniform.

Officer Mike Moses heads the Cleveland Police Department's DARE program and 
officers Jeremy Noble, Mike Ricker, Marnie Corbit and Brian Montgomery 
instruct the Cleveland Middle School program.

These officers have received special training to present the DARE program 
and are evaluated yearly by State of Tennessee Department of Safety DARE 
training staff.

Recently Corbit received one of the highest evaluations ever given by the 
Tennessee Department of Safety Training. Staff officer Corbit is the 
Cleveland City Elementary School Resource Officer and taught the program at 
Arnold Elementary School.

The DARE officers, as they are referred to, teach fifth grade city 
elementary classes, as well as seventh grade in the middle school. When 
they are not doing classroom instruction, the officers spend their time 
performing their School Resource Officer duties and interacting with 
students in other various school-related activities. The student's 
perception of the police is enhanced in a positive way and the officer 
becomes accepted as a trustworthy friend.

A total of 348 students completed the program during he 2001-2002 school 
year in the elementary schools and 338 students completed the middle school 
program. DARE officers also speak to students in kindergarten through 
fourth grade classes using a drug and safety program to spread a drug- and 
trouble-free message.
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