Programs
D.A.R.E.
D.A.R.E. to say No to drugs and violence. It's a simple and straightforward concept presented to all sixth grade students in the West Des Moines School District and Sacred Heart School's fifth grade students.
D.A.R.E. - Drug Abuse Resistance Education avoids the traditional scare tactics that preach the dangers of drugs. Students learn how to make decisions, how to combat the pressures from peers and the media, and how to seek out healthy alternatives to all types of drugs and violence.
D.A.R.E. is taught by uniformed police officers for one hour a week over an eighteen-week period. According to the philosophy of the program, the officer adds both credibility and experience to drug prevention education. The officers now instructing the program in the school district classrooms have received intensive training in the D.A.R E. curriculum, classroom management and childhood development.
D.A.R.E. officers use role-playing, cooperative learning, and other interactive techniques to instruct students on dealing with peer pressure, increasing self-esteem, making decisions regarding personal safety, and respecting authority. D.A.R E. targets fifth and sixth graders because students of this age are aware of drug abuse through discussion with peers and the media, but generally have not experimented with drugs or been exposed to violence.
D.A.R.E. was developed in 1983 as a joint venture between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Police Department. Now, the program is used in classrooms throughout the United States and other countries. In Iowa, the number of D.A.R.E. officers is growing each year with the majority of law enforcement agencies having already implemented the program.