D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It is a
drug-abuse prevention program that began in Los Angeles in 1983.
It is designed to give students knowledge about drug abuse, the
consequences of abuse and skills for resisting peer pressure to
experiment with drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In Loudoun County,
the D.A.R.E. program is taught in fifth grade by deputies from
the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.A bonus for the program is
that the deputies get to interact with students in the cafeteria
and on the playground., This gives students the opportunity to
interact with law enforcement officers in a positive way. That
interaction builds a trust with students and allows them to
easily approach law enforcement officers. The D.A.R.E. program
had been matched to Virginia ’s Standards of Learning. This
allowed the program to be cut from 18 to 10 weeks without a
duplication of effort. Visit the official D.A.R.E. website to
learn more about this program.