From the Desk of Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz
D.A.R.E. (Drug abuse resistance education) is a program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. It is a police offer-led series of classroom lessons, from kindergarten through 12th grade, which teach students how to resist peer pressure, drugs, and violence.
Lessons focus on bullying, vaping, family talks, making safe and wise decisions, and opioid and prescription drug abuse prevention. Students are taught that drugs can be helpful and/or harmful.
One curriculum, called “Keepin it Real” (Refuse, explain, avoid, and leave), is where students are questioned about real-life situations. This information is used to teach skills that youth need to be safe, healthy, and responsible in leading drug-free lives.
D.A.R.E. teaches students about how to determine what is a real emergency. The program also gives students the tools they need to be good citizens, with laws and rules being discussed. Younger children are taught about stranger danger and how to react in this type of situation. They are taught concepts such as understanding feelings, coping with anger, and responding to hurtful behaviors. The younger age groups are given lessons about opioids, how to identify unsafe situations, calling 911, the difference between food and non-foods, and how to recognize and be careful with medicines.
Officers discuss underage drinking, legal and personal ramifications of alcohol abuse, and provide safety tips for celebrations with higher grade students. This could be presented around the weeks of homecoming, prom, and/or graduation.
High school lessons are focused on understanding risk behavior and making decisions that support safety and health, including norms, consequences, resisting peer pressure, and intervening in dangerous or risky situations.
With the use of the internet and social media by children and adolescents, new lessons have been developed to expose harmful uses to sell drugs, bully, exploit, and inflict interpersonal violence. These lessons provide tools to help guard children’s mental health, protect their identity, and avoid fraud and manipulation.
Vaping use is up significantly among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. With vaping prevention lessons, students learn about the risks associated with vaping and risk factors that increase over the lifespan of a product.
Suicide prevention is also covered by the D.A.R.E. program for the purpose of teaching teens to recognize the signs of depression, demystify the treatment process, and encourage students to talk to a trusted adult about mental health concerns.
St. Landry Parish has a 12-week core curriculum program for 5th and 6th graders, as well as a 4-week springtime program for kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd graders. All of these are once a week classes. By the end of the school year, there will be a combined D.A.R.E. student enrollment of 2,200.
The above information is intended for information purposes only and not for legal advice. For legal advice, consult an attorney. Questions can be submitted to bguidroz@slpsheriff.com
