Pubdate: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Copyright: 2003 PG Publishing Contact: http://www.post-gazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/341 Author: Carole Gilbert Brown , Tri-State Sports & News Service Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) BRIDGEVILLE POLICE PICK UP DARE PROGRAM FOR SEVENTH-GRADERS AFTER COLLIER DROPS OUT Because of Bridgeville Police Department's intervention, seventh-graders at Chartiers Valley Middle School in Collier may receive DARE instruction this school year after all. The program was to be discontinued in early September when Collier, which has supplied two DARE officers to the district's primary, intermediate and middle schools, decided to not participate. Township officials cited studies that have questioned the effectiveness of the training as the reason for their decision, which knocked out DARE instruction at the primary and middle schools. The fifth-grade program was impacted, too, though officers from Scott thought they could fill that gap. Chartiers Valley Director Mary Lou Petronsky, a Bridgeville resident, was disturbed by Collier's decision, and contacted Bridgeville Mayor Don Dolde. "If only one child is helped by the DARE program, then I believe it's worth it," she said. Dolde took the matter up with his police department, and borough council recently approved sending two officers to training Jan. 4-16. It has not been determined who the officers will be, Dolde said last week. Though the training will allow the officers to work with seventh-graders, it will be too late for the primary school curriculum, which was to begin in mid-September. The training period will put a strain on Bridgeville's small department, which is down to seven members because of its chief's retirement and an injured officer. Borough officials are on track, however, to have a new chief selected before the DARE training begins. Council has narrowed the field to three candidates. "I'm real proud of our department. We're not missing a beat," Dolde said. Though Dolde said he was aware of some studies that suggested DARE was not a useful tool, he questioned how the program's effectiveness could be accurately determined. "It can't be a negative thing," he added, given its educational benefits. Many of the less flattering studies seem to be based on DARE's earlier years. The program began in Los Angeles in 1983 and spread across the nation. It has been updated a number of times, with the latest revision producing a streamlined curriculum and a new name. DARE, which formerly was an acronym for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, now means Define, Assess, Respond and Evaluate. A federal grant helps to pay for officers' instruction time and program supplies. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom