Drug Abuse Resistance Education

 The Livingston County Sheriff Department is proud to continue to teach the D.A.R.E. Program.  Several departments throughout Michigan have had to cut their D.A.R.E. Programs due to lack of funding for the program.  We are happy to say that our program is not only still up and running, but has been expanded.  We now not only teach D.A.R.E. in 5^th grade, we also teach it in 7^th grade.  The two levels are taught in the Fowlerville, Hartland and Pinckney school districts.  We also teach 5^th grade. D.A.R.E at St. Pat’s Catholic School in Brighton and St. Mary’s Catholic School in Pinckney.  Our plan for the coming 2004/2005 school year is to add D.A.R.E. to the 9^th grade also.  We currently have two Deputies assigned to D.A.R.E. full time, Deputy Bill Sneath and Deputy Deborah Utter.  Both Deputies put in long hard hours to see that the program continues in Livingston County.  They are very dedicated and will go the extra mile to keep the program up and running.

 The D.A.R.E. Deputies put in endless hours fundraising, planning lessons and working with organizations around the county.  They speak at day cares, head start programs, pre schools, school classrooms from K-12, and various other county based programs.  They can also be seen supporting their D.A.R.E. students at sporting events, band and choir concerts and other student based activities.  Not only is it important to build a report with the students in class, it is also important to continue that outside the classroom. 

5^th Grade D.A.R.E. Program:

The 5^th grade D.A.R.E. Program has a new revised curriculum as of the fall of 2003. This program is designed to lay a foundation for the students. The revised program is 10 weeks long and covers the following topic areas:

-         Alcohol and drug abuse awareness

-         Decision making skills

-         Identifying and resisting peer pressure

-         Positive alternatives to drug use

-         Traits of good and bad friends

The revised curriculum allows the students to interact more and be actively involved in the teaching process.  The students have been very receptive to the new program and express regularly how much they enjoy it.

Two of the tools taught to the students are the 8 Ways To Say “No” and the D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model. 

8 Ways To Say “No”              

      1.  Say, “No thanks.”

2.      Give a reason or excuse

3.      Say “No” like a broken record.

4.      Walk away

5.      Change the subject

6.      Avoid the situation’

7.      Cold shoulder

8.      Strength in numbers

D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model

     D- define the problem, situation or challenge

     A- assess your choices

     R- respond, make your choice

     E- evaluate your choice.  Was it a good choice?  Would you make the

             same choice again?

7^th and 9^th Grade D.A.R.E Program:

The new 7^th and 9^th grade programs are designed as prevention programs.  The students are put into real life situations through various roll plays.  They are then asked how they would handle the situation and given various options to help them.  This will help prepare them for the challenges of being a young person in today’s society.