D.A.R.E. was established in the City of Winter Park at the onset of the 1989-1990 school year in all three of the Cities' Elementary Schools (Brookshire Elementary, Lakemont Elementary and St. Margaret Mary School). With the support of several local community and civic organizations, the D.A.R.E. program proudly recognizes the accomplishments of the thousands of students who have completed the course and made the commitment to stay drug free and violence free.

What is D.A.R.E. ?

D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It is a drug abuse prevention education program designed to equip elementary, middle and high school children with knowledge about drug abuse, the consequences of abuse, and skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Based on the premise that prevention is the only long-term answer to drug abuse, the program includes all 50 states and 53 countries. The D.A.R.E. program is taught in over 75% of the nation’s school districts, creating a positive atmosphere for students to interact with uniformed law enforcement officers.

This unique program uses uniformed law enforcement officers to teach a formal curriculum to students in a classroom setting.

The D.A.R.E. lesson plans focus on four major areas:

1. Providing accurate information about drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
2. Teaching students good decision-making skills.
3. Showing students how to recognize and resist peer pressure.
4. Giving students ideas for positive alternatives to drug use.

D.A.R.E officers work with children to raise their self-esteem, teach them how to make decisions on their own, and help them identify positive alternatives to drugs. Through role-playing, the D.A.R.E., curriculum emphasizes the negative consequences of drug use, and reinforces the skills to resist peer pressure and intimidation.

D.A.R.E. is a cooperative effort by the police, schools, parents, and the community - all four working together to help our children make the right choices concerning drug use. One of the unique features of D.A.R.E. is the use of uniformed police officers as instructors. D.A.R.E. officers are assigned to a classroom "beat." Gleaming with the latest in prevention science and teaching techniques, D.A.R.E. is reinventing itself as part of a major national research study that promises to help teachers and administrators cope with the thorny issues of school violence, budget cuts, and terrorism. The need for an effective education program to inoculate students against the threat of drugs is critical to the well being of our children and their future.

What D.A.R.E. is NOT

Scare tactics - D.A.R.E. relies on accurate information and a straight-forward approach.

A "Witch Hunt" - D.A.R.E. Officers NEVER encourage students to "turn in" family or friends who may be breaking the law. D.A.R.E. students are taught to say "someone I know . . . " when sharing stories; never using real names.

"Hands on drugs" - How drugs are used (methods) are not taught. Drugs are never taken into a classroom as part of D.A.R.E.

If you have any questions regarding the D.A.R.E. program, please visit the
official D.A.R.E. website.