Pubdate: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 Source: Republican, The (Springfield, MA) Copyright: 2006 The Republican Contact: http://www.masslive.com/republican/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3075 Author: Jason Christofori Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1248/a01.html)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1248/a01.html DARE PROGRAM BENEFICIAL IN FIGHT AGAINST DRUG USE This letter is in response to The Republican news article titled: "Wilbraham's DARE under board scrutiny." (Sept. 19). I have been a resident of Wilbraham since I was born. I attended Minnechaug Regional High School and graduated in 2000. During the course of my education at the elementary and high school levels, I was exposed to various Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programs and classroom education. Dennis LaPlante was my DARE officer. Through his teachings, lectures, and classroom exercises, I began to develop a friendship with him and viewed him as a role-model. I became a strong proponent (and continue to be) of DARE. I realized it was important to have an officer in the classroom talking about drug and alcohol abuse, intervention and prevention methods and violence prevention techniques. I am convinced that DARE had a direct impact on my lifestyle; it influenced my decision-making process, offered valuable solutions to problems and equipped me with the right "life-tools" to handle tough situations. DARE provides young people with information, tools and techniques to assist them with making healthy lifestyle choices. The curriculum is constantly updated, refined and evaluated; it has evolved tremendously so as to address difficult contemporary issues that young people encounter. It is a good system. Opponents of the program continuously argue that there appears to be no statistical data that substantiates its effectiveness. In response, I raise the questions: What else is available? What other classroom-based curriculum is capable of confronting the issues DARE has? Instead of throwing this system away, Wilbraham and other communities should continue to refine DARE, continue to invest in its purpose and remain cognizant of the millions of young people who abstain from drug abuse and violence. Jason Christofori Wilbraham - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine