School board listens to supporters for DARE
By Miguel Morales miguel@theacorn.com

Residents and DARE representatives showed up at Tuesday's school district meeting to share their opinions about the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program with Moorpark's school board.

Strong emotions were expressed by parents worried by the possibility that the Moorpark's DARE program may have met its end.

Scott Gillian, original founder of DARE, now the director of training and curriculum for DARE America, pointed out that the drug prevention program is active in 75 percent of the country and is considered the most valuable program of its kind. He stood in front of council members, challenging them to find a program that worked better.

"There isn't one, because they are all exactly the same," Gillian said. "Every successful drug prevention program out there copies the DARE program almost exactly."

Other members with less experience with the program like John Robinson- who has never been through the DARE program himself- found it "completely shocking" that there was talk of replacing the program. He spoke of the countless times his daughter, who had recently gone through the program, came home and told him all that she had learned from the program officers.

"A parent's job is to get as much info to our kids as possible and this program helps us do that," Robinson said.

All these words did not fall on deaf ears. Ron LaGuardia, school board president, referenced an article in the Moorpark Acorn about a man who was carjacked last week, saying "Moorpark is no longer the safe little community that we thought we were."

He also dispelled rumors that the school district doesn't care about drug prevention, simply saying "that's not true." But he did mention that the DARE program isn't doing enough to help fight drugs and violence in the community.

"One graduating class alone isn't going to do it," LaGuardia said. "What we are prepared to do as a school district is prepare a more comprehensive program."

District Superintendent Ellen Smith admitted that cost would play a major role in whether the program would continue to be used in Moorpark elementary schools or not. With other programs costing significantly less, some as little as $3,500, the district would be able to use the remaining money to pay off its debts, she said.

"If we can provide the same drug awareness in schools and spend less money, than it is something the district should consider," Smith said.

Parent Kathy Morningred disagreed completely, saying that the programs such as Project Alert offered "too little too late." She pointed out that no program but DARE provides children with the hands-on interaction that a police officer could provide.

"Parents lose touch with children at middle school level," Morningred said. "Last year a student was discussing going tagging with his cousins. If the DARE program can persuade even one of these boys from thinking that this is 'cool,' there will be benefits to both the school and the city."