YORBA LINDA : Council Expands Anti-Drug Program

A proposal to expand the popular Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, known as DARE, to the high school level has been approved by the City Council.

The council voted 3 to 2 last week to fund the position of a school resource officer at Esperanza High School beginning in January, 1993. The cost of the program is estimated at $76,000 annually.

Four DARE officers currently teach Yorba Linda’s 13,000 elementary and middle-school students, focusing on drug awareness and building self-esteem. The DARE program is administered by the Brea Police Department, which provides police service to the city of Yorba Linda.

The high school curriculum will differ slightly from the elementary program, according to Dennis Kreil director of pupil services for the district.

“The curriculum would probably be an expansion of the DARE experience in eighth grade,” he said. “There would also have to be a new element introduced.”

The purpose of the DARE program is to provide young children with the opportunity to learn decision-making skills and the ability to refuse offers of drugs and alcohol early in life.

But Kreil said expanding the program to the high school level is vital to its success. “Not only should we not stop (at high school), we need to emphasize even more the importance of being able to cope with influences at a time when the students are actually being tempted” by drugs and alcohol, he said.

According to Sharon McHolland, assistant superintendent for educational services, the program will foster trust and respect for police officers.

The city’s decision to expand the program came on the heels of a decision by the school district to eliminate DARE funding. The total cost of the current program is $269,785.

The district’s share of the funding must be absorbed by city government or the program will have to be reduced.

Councilman Gene Wisner opposed the expansion, saying he didn’t have faith in DARE’s ability to reach high school students.

“If we were talking about (funding) for second and third grade, I would have supported it,” Wisner said.

Also voting in opposition was John M. Gullixson, who said that spending an additional $76,000 on the program was not prudent, considering that the city may have to expand funding for the existing program.