Published: June 08, 2007 05:43 pm            

OKC council should think hard before making cuts to D.A.R.E.

On behalf of the thousands of children in Oklahoma who have graduated from the D.A.R.E. program, on behalf of the grateful parents, and on behalf of the tireless efforts of the dedicated police officers of Oklahoma we are asking the Oklahoma City council to please carefully consider any decisions regarding cuts to the D.A.R.E. program. The cost of a single D.A.R.E. workbook is .89 cents while the cost of incarcerating a single prisoner for one year is approximately $25,000. We as a community can address the issue at the front end for pennies per child or address the issue a few years later at a cost of $25,000 per prisoner.

And let us be clear and to the point — D.A.R.E. works!

Since 1997 there have been 18 studies conducted on D.A.R.E. showing very positive results. Of those 18 studies the most eye opening was published by the Journal of the National Medical Association showing D.A.R.E graduates are five times less likely to begin smoking than non-D.A.R.E. graduates.

D.A.R.E. utilizes a research and science based curriculum that uses brain-based learning, a facilitative learning model, and interactive teaching methods. Furthermore, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is currently funding a five-year study, conducted by the University of Akron, involving over 19,000 students from 83 high schools and 122 middle schools. The study which is nearing completion shows very positive results as more students decided against using drugs, more students found drug use socially inappropriate and believed fewer peers used drugs, fewer students reported intent to use inhalants, and more students learned how to refuse drugs.

And quoting a recent report from the University of Akron’s principal researcher, Dr. Zili Sloboda, “Simply put, there is no comparable national prevention delivery network like D.A.R.E. in the United States. The existence of D.A.R.E. is an opportunity to bring the latest in prevention to millions of children and adolescents in both a timely and a quality fashion.”

Our Website, www.dare.com, receives over 19 million hits per month, providing valuable information to not just D.A.R.E. officers but anyone seeking reliable and timely information on drug prevention.

The foundation of D.A.R.E.’s success is a curricula that includes science-based principles of prevention, age appropriate and reading level appropriate material, caring parents, supportive schools, and dedicated police officers. And finally, any message delivered by a D.A.R.E officer needs to be reinforced at home.

It is a scary time to be a parent, whether in Oklahoma City or Ada, Tulsa or Norman, but the D.A.R.E. program is still leading the charge to save kids lives. And although there may never be a silver bullet those involved with the D.A.R.E. program still feel the pressure to save lives, to educate and protect children from harm, and regardless of the science and research, go to work every day in classrooms in Oklahoma City and across Oklahoma remembering the old high jump saying, “throw your heart over the bar and your body will follow.”

— Copeland is the president of the board of directors for the Oklahoma D.A.R.E. Officer’s Association.

        

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