CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — D.A.R.E. is returning to Camden County schools.
The Camden County Sheriff’s Office has announced a deputy has begun training for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, and it will be implemented in several local schools next month.
D.A.R.E. is a highly acclaimed program aimed at giving kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. The law enforcement officer-led series of classroom lessons teach children how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.
Part of the curriculum includes learning and practicing good decision-making skills and being safe and responsible. The program was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has been implemented in nearly 80 percent of the nation's school districts and in more than 54 countries around the world. More than 30 million children worldwide will go through the D.A.R.E. program this year.
D.A.R.E. teaches kids how to recognize and resist the direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs.
Last month, Deputy Jamee Rugen attended D.A.R.E. training in Jefferson City as part of a year long effort to implement the program after it was cancelled in 2000. Deputy Rugen will begin the D.A.R.E. program at Climax Springs School, Macks Creek School, and Stoutland School during the week of November 14th.
