18) D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E.'s (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) elementary, middle and high school curricula, as well as its enhancement lessons on subjects that include bullying, internet safety, and over-the-counter prescription drug and opioid abuse, have been developed through partnerships with highly respected universities and prevention education experts.  Each curriculum has been developed and approved under the guidance of D.A.R.E. America's Scientific Advisory Committee. This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E., the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 and has proven so successful that it has been implemented in thousands of schools throughout the United States and many other countries. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. Within our own community our School Resource Officers who teach D.A.R.E. have had multiple students explain how D.A.R.E. has helped them make smart and responsible decisions in real world situations. Hearing such accounts further demonstrates the success of the program and our pride in being able to provide D.A.R.E. to students in our community.