D.A.R.E. Programs

D.A.R.E.- Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The Addison Police Department is proud of the educational commitment it has made to the youth of our community. D.A.R.E. seeks to prevent adolescent substance abuse, thus reducing the demand for drugs. The curriculum focuses on positive alternatives, skill development in risk assessment, building self-esteem, and building interpersonal and communication skills. D.A.R.E. is Community Policing. The United States Department of Justice identified how D.A.R.E benefits local communities by: “humanizing” the police, permitting students to see officers in a helping role, opening lines of communication between law enforcement and youth, and D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between schools, police, and parents to deal with other issues.

D.A.R.E. was developed in 1983 as a cooperative effort of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District to prevent drug abuse in children and youth. In 1987, the Addison Police Department began teaching the D.A.R.E. program. Over 40,000 Addison students have been taught the program since it’s inception. D.A.R.E instructors began teaching an exciting new curriculum during the 2003/2004 school year. This curriculum allows students to participate in active learning. The program provides piratical information and allows students to learn from one another.

The Addison Police D.A.R.E. Officers teach the D.A.R.E. program to students in 4th, 5th, 8th, and 10th grade.

4th Grade D.A.R.E. - the curriculum consists of five lessons which deal with personal safety, drug and alcohol prevention, conflict resolution, and violence prevention. The emphasis is on educating children to help them keep safe, drug free, and violence free and to recognize and report situations which may endanger their personal health and safety.

5th Grade D.A.R.E. - this core curriculum was recently revised and has been modified to ten lessons which challenge students by having them participate in active learning. Topic areas are more specific to the needs of children this age. It is life skill based to recognize and resist social; pressure to experiment with tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. These lessons focus on peer pressure, decision-making skills, personal safety, and positive alternatives to destructive behavior. Each lesson is structured with Goals and Objectives.

Junior High D.A.R.E. - this curriculum is taught to 8th grade students over ten consecutive days. It has recently been revised. This new interactive approach gets kids involved in the lesson and helps them internalize the message. The officer acts as a coach or facilitator and the students come up with responses to a variety of scenarios. It also provides information and skills students may utilize to resist peer pressure and other influences when making personal choices.

Senior High D.A.R.E. - this curriculum is jointly taught over ten consecutive days between High School Teachers and D.A.R.E. Officers. The program coincides with everyday situations students encounter. Sessions reinforce skills that enable them to act in their own best interest when facing high ­risk, low gain choices. Equal emphasis is placed on helping students to recognize and cope with feelings of anger without causing harm to themselves or others and without resorting to violence or the use of alcohol and other drugs.

Violence Education and Gang Awareness (VEGA) - is taught in 5 consecutive sessions to 6th/7th grade students. The program focuses on reducing and preventing gang involvement and violence among young people. The V.E.G.A. program offers strategies that focus on communication skills, decision-making, conflict resolution, self-esteem, peer and social pressures, and positive alternatives to gangs and other negative behaviors.

Stranger Danger is taught in one lesson to students in Kindergarten through third grade. Information is provided to students to keep them safe and to recognize, avoid, and report situations that may endanger their health or personal safety. Officers use colorful D.A.R.E. posters to explain the concepts of who are strangers, the “buddy system”, “Fleet Watch”, “McGruff House”, and what to do should you find yourself alone.