Curriculum That Fights Drugs, Gangs Unveiled

A classroom program aimed at curbing rising drug use and gang violence among elementary and junior high school students was unveiled Thursday during a news conference and reception at the Orange County Department of Education.

The program, developed by the county Department of Education and dubbed Project YES!, for Yes to Education and Skills, is the first in the state to blend anti-gang and anti-drug messages into classroom curriculum, eliminating the need for teachers to set aside extra time to deliver prevention lessons to students, according to state and local education and criminal justice officials on hand for the announcement.

“The ultimate answer (to drug and gang prevention) is education,” said state Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Substance Abuse, who was one of five officials who unveiled the project. “Our objective is to raise a clean generation of kids . . . who go beyond the slogan of ‘Just Say No.’ ”

The program includes lesson plans, teacher training manuals, audiotapes and videotapes and interactive computer programs to be used in third-, fifth- and seventh-grade classrooms. It was developed over two years under a $400,000 grant awarded by the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning to the county Department of Education, which won a statewide competition to earn the grant.

Lesson themes include “Responsible Citizenship,” “Dynamics of Cultural Diversity,” “Choices and Consequences,” “Refusal Skills” and “Success and Achievement.” Each is designed to educate youths on the pitfalls of joining gangs or using drugs and to heighten self-esteem.

G. Albert Howenstein Jr., executive director of the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning, said the new curriculum has been field-tested throughout the state and is available for immediate use. He added that education officials expect it will be years before the success of the program is determined.

“Changing these values is a marathon--it’s not a sprint,” he said.

The county Department of Education’s Media Services Unit will distribute the curriculum in a kit at a cost of $299 per grade or $800 for all three grades.

County Supt. of Schools Robert Peterson said the funds should cover the cost of packaging and distribution and that any excess money will be used to develop a similar curriculum for second-, fourth- and sixth-graders. He added that grades three, five and seven were initially chosen because developers of the program wanted to reach both younger children and junior-high school students, but there was not enough money available to fund more than three grades.

Not Peterson, Howenstein or any of the other state and local officials at the news conference were able to provide specific figures on the annual cost of the program, despite repeated questioning. Howenstein would say only that the project would be funded through a combination of state money allocated for drug-prevention programs and federal anti-drug funds administered through the state Department of Education.

More than 100 local civic leaders, politicians, law enforcement personnel and educators were invited to the board room of the County Department of Education for the announcement of the program. The audience viewed a videotaped overview of the program and heard remarks from a host of officials before being treated to an outdoor reception.

In addition to Howenstein and Seymour, Peterson was flanked on stage by Robert Philibosian, chairman of the California Council on Criminal Justice, and state Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk). Each took time to praise Peterson’s involvement in the program and deliver congratulatory messages from Gov. George Deukmejian.

The announcement of the program comes just one month before the November election, in which Peterson faces his toughest challenge in his 24 years as superintendent from challenger John F. Dean.

Peterson said the timing of the announcement of the new program was coincidental to the upcoming election but added, “It is fortunate it occurs now, I admit.”