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D.A.R.E.
What is D.A.R.E.?
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a collaborative effort by law enforcement officers, educators, students, parents and the community to offer an educational program in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence among children and youth. D.A.R.E. is taught by over 25,000 officers in 300,000 classrooms worldwide. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in nearly 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 44 countries around the world.
D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs. It gives children 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.
More than 2,000 students have successfully completed and graduated from the DARE program taught by Laurel Police Officers.
Officer Training...
Every D.A.R.E. officer participates in an intensive training course given by other law enforcement professionals, teachers, and school administrators. Each officer is evaluated by a team of "Mentor" officers several times before teaching their "Model" lesson as a guest speaker in an elementary school. They are again evaluated by the classroom teacher before being certified to teach D.A.R.E.! Officers may then go on to become certified in the Middle School, High School and Parent Training Curriculums. Each state has a D.A.R.E. Coordinator who is responsible for training in their state.
How is D.A.R.E. Taught?
D.A.R.E. offers a variety of interactive, group participation, cooperative learning activities which are designed to encourage students to solve problems of major importance in their lives. An important element of D.A.R.E. is the use of student leaders who do not use drugs as positive role models in influencing younger students. A police officer certified to teach D.A.R.E. presents each weekly lesson to students. The classroom teacher maintains an important role in their class, assisting with lessons and classroom management.
D.A.R.E. Funding...
Funding for Laurel's D.A.R.E. Program is provided 100% through tax revenues or community donations. The City receives no grants from state or federal sources for our program. The City accepts donations from interested Community Groups or Corporate Sponsors to assist with dunding for this program. Funds are used for teaching materials, awards, graduation tee-shirts, etc.
If anyone is interested in providing funding or assisting with sponsoring the program on behalf of a particular school, please contact the D.A.R.E. Officer at (301) 498-0092, or e-mail at dare@laurel.md.us.
D.A.R.E. America...
Visit 
America which features a Kids Club, News and events.
