D.A.R.E. Defines
Our Nation At Risk

The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program has been part of the
Hudson school system since 1993. This program is taught in Kindergarten through Grade 6.

The primary goals of D.A.R.E. are to prevent substance abuse among school children and to help them develop effective gang and violence resistance techniques. The core curriculum targets young children to prepare them to avoid substance abuse and violence as they enter adolescence.

The number of students abusing drugs and alcohol in the U.S. is at the highest level of any industrialized nation in the world.

The rapid increase of students experimenting with drugs has begun to taper off, but the starting age gets younger and younger.

For example, a poll by Weekly Reader Magazine shows a quarter of all fourth graders feel pressured to try alcohol or marijuana.

The lethal aim of drug dealers is to catch children at an early age and to influence them into developing drug habits. Once the children are addicted, dealers have deadly control over their lives. Adolescents may be susceptible to taking drugs or alcohol because their effect symbolizes a false value of independence, rebellion and adulthood. Thoughts of risking health and well being seem to be only of a minor importance.

D.A.R.E. lessons focus on:

The D.A.R.E. Involvement

The D.A.R.E. program for schools includes a number of hours of police officer and teacher training and a semester-long - -17 week - -curriculum complete with classroom teaching aids. The program also includes xxth grade pre-program testing. There are separate presentations for Kindergarten-6th grade students, and special workshops for parents and teachers.

The key to the program's success is parental involvement. Evening workshops led by the officer teaching at the school are offered to parents. This provides parents with information about drugs and abuse, the D.A.R.E. program itself, and ways to reinforce the program's messages at home.

We Must Take Responsibility and Prevent the Problem

Drug Education is still seen as the key for reducing the demand for drugs. The D.A.R.E. program is designed to be introduced to youth before they are exposed to drugs. The primary focus of the program is directed toward 6th grades. There are also introductory presentations for Kindergarten through 4th grades. This program is anticipated to expand into junior high and high schools as resources permit.

D.A.R.E. encourages students to have a more positive outlook toward law enforcement, school and home.

With the help of D.A.R.E., children become more self confident and cooperate with family members and their peers. This positive attitude will spread to all segments of society and eventually help to decrease friction between ethnic groups.

Conclusion