Pocatello police have made some recent changes to the D.A.R.E. program that they hope will help officers to better connect with children in the community.
Zachary Bartschi, the police sergeant in charge of all the school resource officers at Pocatello School District 25 schools, said the middle school resource officers are now going to teach D.A.R.E. classes to the fifth-graders in their schools.
“Before, one officer would go to all the elementary schools,” he said. “The change is that all middle school resource officers will be teaching D.A.R.E. to their elementary schools.”
Bartschi said a D.A.R.E. officer, like a school resource officer, has to go through additional hours of training to be certified.
“A D.A.R.E. officer has to go through 80 hours of training to become certified,” he said. “A school resource officer obtains 40 hours of training for a basic certificate.”
Bartschi said with this change, by the time fifth-graders start middle school, they will already be familiar with the resource officer for their school.
“They will have already made a relationship with them,” he said.
Bartschi said he thinks this change will have a positive impact in the students in the district. He said the students will be able to communicate with the officers better.
“They will be more comfortable being around the officer,” he said. “They will be able to communicate and continue to be drug and alcohol free.”
Bartschi said school resource officers take safety in schools seriously and that this change will help them to be better able to do that.
“This gives us the opportunity to make sure we’re teaching in a positive way and being a community resource,” he said.
Whitney Curzon, a fifth-grade teacher at Indian Hills Elementary School, said she has always appreciated the D.A.R.E. program and how it teaches students to make good decisions. She thinks these changes will have a positive impact on students.
“I think it’s helpful for the kids to have consistency and know who they can trust and who to look for if they have any problems,” she said.
Curzon said her students all love the D.A.R.E. program as well. She thinks it’s important for the officers to build a positive relationship with the students.
“It’s important for officers to be visible in the schools,” she said. “It gives the students a chance to have a personal relationship with the officers.”
Curzon expressed gratitude to the community for supporting the D.A.R.E. program and the students.
“It’s important for us to support our kids,” she said.
Bartschi said the D.A.R.E. program started in Los Angeles in 1983, and the program in Pocatello started in 1991. During that time, the way it has been taught has changed. When it first started, it was more about discussing drugs, and now it is about making good choices.
“It provides children with an opportunity to learn and practice good decision-making skills to lead safe and healthy lives,” he said.
Bartschi said students in the program are taught nine lessons. These lessons include learning about specific drugs such as tobacco and alcohol as well as lessons about confidence and choosing good friends.
“Students must complete each lesson in the planner to pass D.A.R.E.,” he said. “The final test is a report on what they have learned.”
More information about D.A.R.E. can be found at dare.org. To donate to the D.A.R.E. program in Pocatello, visit {span}paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3MWDAEZGLS9GW{/span}.