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DARE program returns to Caledonia Public Schools
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
“When I was hired as police chief last year and found out they didn’t have the DARE program offered to kids in this community, I made it one of my top priorities,” said Caledonia Police Chief Kurt Zehnder. It didn’t take the chief long to make good on that promise.
With the help of Caledonia Principal Paul DeMorett, Caledonia fifth graders will begin participating in the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program Feb. 9.
“Mr. DeMorett has been so supportive of this program,” Zehnder said. Officer Allan Johnson, who along with Zehnder, is certified to teach the class, will be the officer facilitating the course, which will be held every Tuesday during the period fifth graders would normally be learning about social studies, for the next 14 weeks.
“I truly wish I would be in the classroom teaching the class. But I’ve got other responsibilities,” Zehnder noted. “Allan will do a great job. I just loved the interaction with the kids when I taught it before. It is a fantastic way to get to know the kids.”
While the DARE program deals with educating kids about the pitfalls of alcohol, illegal drug and tobacco use, addressing the bullying issue has really moved into the forefront in recent years, according to Zehnder.
“Bullying has received much more attention in the last few years. It’s certainly something that needs to be addressed in our schools, and the DARE program is the perfect place to work on improving this,” Zehnder said.
The interaction with police officers is another very valuable aspect of the DARE program. It gives police officers a chance to spend time with the kids. They learn that even though the person they are working with has a uniform, a badge and a gun, he or she is human.
“The interaction with the kids is huge,” Zehnder said. “To be able to walk down the hallway of a school and have kids greet you, give you a high five or a hug is so rewarding. These kids realize we are human, being a cop is our job. We’re really no different than anyone else.”
Zehnder said the $250 grant from Tri-County Electric enabled his department to purchase DARE books and other instructional materials. He voiced his appreciation for the grant.
Some history
The DARE program will be observing its 20th anniversary this month in Minnesota.
The DARE program was developed as a pilot program in 1983 in Los Angeles. This was largely in response to a large increase in drug use and abuse creating increases in crime. DARE was a program that utilized specially trained, uniformed, law enforcement in the classrooms to gain the attention of the students and to provide information about their neighborhoods. These officers saw the ineffectiveness of reacting to the problem and wanted instead to prevent it.
As the drug problems carried into the Midwest, Minnesota Attorney General Skip Humphrey sent Norm Coleman (who worked for Humphrey at that time) to learn about this DARE program. Under the direction and leadership of Humphrey and Coleman, the Minnesota project quickly took off and became a lead program in the country.
In 1990 Coleman signed the Articles of Incorporation setting up Minnesota DARE, Inc. as the nonprofit to manage DARE programming for Minnesota.
Today, Minnesota DARE is much more than a drug and alcohol prevention program. This program is recognized and remembered by many as a friendship between a “cop and a kid.” Hundreds of officers have been specially trained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. These officers touch over 70,000 students annually in grades kindergarten through high school.
After 20 years in Minnesota, the program is preparing to reach a second generation of DARE students.
For more information contact Minnesota DARE, Inc. at 1-800-990-DARE (3273),
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or go to www.mndare.org.
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