DARE program expected to return to Oak Park public schools





By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Ventura County officials say the DARE (Drug Abuse and Alcohol Resistance Education) program could be returning to Oak Park schools as soon as January.


County budget cuts forced the sheriff’s department to eliminate DARE at the start of the fall semester, causing an uproar among parents and supporters of the nationally recognized drug prevention program.


Thanks to the California National Guard, DARE might return.


"We’re not providing any DARE programs in the county area at all," said Capt. Cheryl Wade of Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. "There are still city programs, but not county."


Ventura County saved $240,000 by eliminating DARE programs in elementary and middle schools of unincorporated areas.


Wade said, however, that the National Guard’s Drug Demand Reduction Program has tentatively agreed to continue DARE in four Oak Park schools: Brookside, Red Oak and Oak Hills elementary schools and Medea Creek Middle School.


Each year, DARE targets millions of students nationwide, starting with fifth-grade when many kids are first exposed to drugs.


A specially trained officer visits classrooms one day a week to discuss myths and realities about substance abuse. Part science, part sociology, the program has proven to be effective in schools across the U.S.


Wade said Chief Warrant Officer Jack Talbot of the National Guard would be the new DARE instructor, pending the approval of his commanding officer.


Talbot will work with both Oak Park and Conejo Valley unified school districts, Wade said.


He’ll teach approximately 790 students in 25 classes, including some in the Conejo Valley Unified School District, she said.


"He got some volunteer work and some money, so it’s a win-win situation for everybody," Wade said. But she also warned, "We may not be able to hit all of the classes because of the limited hours available."


Tyler Morris, a student at Oak Park High School, said the DARE program played an important role in his education and he welcomed its return.


"It says you can have a successful drug- and alcohol-free life and still be ‘cool,’" Morris said.


Morris, who serves as the student representative on the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council, told MAC members last week that he’d like to see Oak Park’s DARE program accompanied by an additional peer-mentoring program.


Peer mentors would assist young DARE students in making correct choices about substance abuse, Morris said.


MAC members encouraged Morris to pitch his idea to the school board.


"I think it works for somebody in middle school when they can listen to somebody close to their own situation," said Glen Wilcox, a member of the MAC.



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