FOUNTAIN VALLEY : DARE Program to Be Taught at Schools

The DARE anti-drug abuse program will be introduced to fifth-, sixth- and eighth-graders in the Fountain Valley Unified and Ocean View school districts this fall.

Officer Mike Becker of the Fountain Valley Police Department will coordinate the DARE program, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.

Students will learn how to improve their self-esteem and be instructed about the risks and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.

Fifth- and sixth-graders will participate in a weekly one-hour lesson for 17 weeks and must complete a workbook. Eighth-graders will attend 11 sessions that follow a similar structure, but on a more advanced level.

Graduates of the DARE program receive a certificate and T-shirt.

The school districts and the Police Department were awarded a grant from the state to start the DARE program, according to Fountain Valley district spokeswoman Cheryl Norton.

Although DARE will not be the first anti-drug program taught in the city’s schools, Becker believes that it will have a greater impact because classes will be taught by a uniformed officer.

Becker completed an 80-hour certification program and will teach at four to five schools a day on weekdays. He will be assisted by classroom teachers.

“The education provided,” Becker said, “will be a more powerful force for young people to resist the pressures.”

Becker will make his debut at Fred Moiola Elementary on Sept. 17.