Police, Schools Work To Bring Back D.A.R.E.

After a one-year hiatus borne out of budget restraints, the Washington Township Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program will return to sixth grade students at the Long Valley Middle School on Oct. 6.

Based on budget allocations from the Washington Township Municipal Alliance Committee ($3,640) and Washington Township School District ($5,000), six officers from the police department have been scheduled to conduct six ‘cycles’ of the D.A.R.E. program between October and June of 2012.

Spearheaded by Washington Township Police Sgt. Doug Compton, the program was resurrected after multiple meeting between township, school and police officials.

“We have to start with baby steps,” Compton said. “The core program is for fifth and sixth graders, but right now we’re just focusing on the sixth graders. We’re hoping as we go along we’ll be able to get more people on board and receive more grants or donations to extend the program.”

The funding is for personnel and supplies to conduct each session, Compton said. The officers–all trained in D.A.R.E. education–have rearranged their schedules to conduct the sessions during their off days.

Those officers are Sgt. Brian Szymanski; Cpl. Robert Oranchak; Officer Adam Feichter; Officer Kirk Griffin; Officer John Wurtemburg; and Officer William McCarthy III. Griffin and Wurtemburg were the two D.A.R.E. officers still serving in those roles before the program was cut.

The program will run in conjunction with the school’s health teacher for a 2.5 hour block of time, Compton said. There will be two officers teaching four different classes, totaling more than 300 students.

“It’s focused on cohesiveness,” Compton said about the program. “It’s great to teach these kids about drug awareness and peer pressure, but it’s also about opening them up to six new faces–being able to meet six new officers in our town. We want to ease their minds and communicate with them.”

The collaborative effort between the police department and Washington Township School District is a marriage that both sides hope will go continue.

“D.A.R.E. is an extremely worthwhile program where the welfare of our students is concerned,” said schools Superintendent Jeff Mohre. “Welcoming police officers into our school district to deliver valuable lessons about healthy choices, peer pressure, refusal skills, and the inherent dangers of drugs and alcohol is a partnership we are very excited about.”

The board of education made the return of the D.A.R.E. program a high priority during its most recent budget cycle, Mohre said, and the body allocated funds accordingly.

The program kicks off its first of six cycles this Thursday, Oct. 6 at Long Valley Middle School.