This week I found in my child’s backpack a letter from a “Concerned Parent”. Apparently, it is circulating around Trinity. Someone went through a lot of trouble photocopying this for so many parents. Trinity has not even started the D.A.R.E program yet. Other schools are done or almost done. I will retype it here:
February 24, 2010
Dear Concerned Parents and Friends,
It has come to my attention that the D.A.R.E. program provided for our fifth grade students in New Rochelle will come to a close at the end of this school year. This is very concerning to me as a parent who has had children go through the D.A.R.E. program. This program provides our children with lessons they will be able to use through middle school and high school when decision making about substance abuse becomes equally as important as getting good grades. Det. Leak and Officer Straehle have worked incredibly hard to build a rapport with our school officials and children. The trust and respect our children earned with these officers will be lost if D.A.R.E. is discontinued.
The mayor, city officials and law enforecement officials have decided because of our bad economy and a hiring freeze, cutting the D.A.R.E program will free up two police officers which can be put back on the street. Our city leaders will tell you that the New Rochelle Police Dept. has started the G.R.E.A.T. program (Gang Resistance Education and Training) which is a spin off of D.A.R.E. G.R.E.A.T. is a worthwhile program provided to our middle school children which like D.A.R.E. reinforces good decisions making and gang resistance. Children receiving G.R.E.A.T. without first receiving D.A.R.E. is like attending college without first attending high school. If our city proceeds fith this decision I feel the New Rochelle Police Dept. will become a reactive police department instead of a proactive police department. If you are also concerned, please call or e-mail our city officials and voice your displeasure and tell them to find a way to continue with providing our children with the D.A.R.E program.
Yours truly,
Concerned Parent
Irishmc….
Really? Could you provide the “study” that you speak of?
Every “study” you come up with, someone else can come up with an opposing point of view.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/lib
http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/factsheets/dare/index.cfm
http://alcoholfacts.org/DARE.html
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,99564,00.html
And what “point of view” would that be? That it makes people feel good?
Thank You…
for providing the three articles which all have both sides of the issue and no “scientific studies” attached.
BTW, the programs, such as DARE and GREAT are usually funded by grants. If the grants are available, why not take advantage of them? Somebody is going to get the money anyway.
Effectiveness Comment Reply
Thanks for sharing this information. We should be continuously checking for the effectiveness of programs and whether they are worthy of tax dollars. It is food for thought.
Every study done on DARE has
Every study done on DARE has shown that it’s a waste of money for an ineffective program. Maybe the city could save itself some money somewhere, somehow by cancelling this useless program?
IrishMc is Right and Thanks for the Links!
I’ve read about the ineffectiveness of the DARE program in other districts where its being dropped. We have to start cutting expenses somewhere and this sounds like maybe as good a place as any. It shouldn’t be cast in stone that the DARE program stays with us forever like so may other programs forced upon us from the Feds and State.