| Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) |
| The D.A.R.E Program
was developed in 1983 as a joint venture of the Los Angeles
Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Sheriff Donnie Rannefeld implemented the D.A.R.E. program
in Nolan County's rural schools upon his election to office
in January of 1997, and today we continue to provide the
students enrolled in Roscoe, Highland and Blackwell schools
with the program to safely resist drugs and violence.
The D.A.R.E. Program is taught by Deputy
whose specialized training and experience has given
him the background needed to answer sophisticated questions
often posed by young students regarding drugs and crime.
During instruction, a variety of activity-oriented techniques
are employed that involve students in class, cooperative-learning
group discussions, and role playing exercises to improve
their understanding of the program.
D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence
prevention programs. It gives students the skills needed
to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures
that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved
in gangs or violent activities. D.A.R.E. is an approach
to educating students about the social, emotional, psychological,
and physiological hazards of drug abuse and teaches
them what being grown-up really means. That is, not
giving in to negative peer pressure, making mature decisions,
and learning to cope with problems in positive ways.
The United States Department of Justice has identified
how D.A.R.E. benefits local communities:
D.A.R.E. "humanizes" the police: that is,
young people can begin to relate to officers as people
D.A.R.E. permits students to see officers in a helping
role, not just an enforcement role
D.A.R.E. opens lines of communication between law enforcement
and youth
D.A.R.E. Officers can serve as conduits to provide information
beyond drug-related topics
D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between the school, police,
and parents to deal with other issues
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