MONTICELLO – D.A.R.E. is a drug abuse prevention education program intended to give elementary school children skills to resist the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. The program uses uniformed police officers, or SROs, to teach a formal curriculum to students in the school classroom. On Friday, two Sullivan County deputies completed the grueling course.
Sheriff Mike Schiff describes the program.
“It started out as an anti-smoking, anti-drug, and alcohol program, and it has expanded to decision-making,” Schiff said. “It teaches children how to deal with scams, how to deal with computer fraud, how to deal with computers in general, bullying, all types of issues that have been added to those first three components.”
The SROs don’t tell kids what to do, but rather inform them. One of the graduates, Deputy Josef Haas, said he learned how to talk with them about consequences.
“It doesn’t teach kids not to do drugs and alcohol. It teaches them to get the information so they can make informed decisions on what they’re doing.”
The other graduate, Deputy Mark Tesseyman, said his training makes him more compassionate.
“(The kids know) someone’s here for them, and that you can make a smart decision. You can make a good choice.”
Haas said that if he influences just one kid not to drink and drive or engage in any other risky behavior, it will be gratifying for him.
“I hope to reach more than one. But one, you know, that the training paid for itself at that point, to know that they’re not grabbing that drink, driving the car, or whatever it is. Knowing that I made a difference there, that would make me feel amazing.”