West Newbury Police Department
Chief Jonathon L. Dennis

401 Main Street West Newbury, Massachusetts 01985
(978) 363-1213

What is the DARE program in West Newbury? The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program is a nationally recognized and very pro-active program of drug abuse and violence prevention, which is taught by police officers in the classroom. The program is community-oriented and aimed at reducing the demand side of the "war on drugs". In West Newbury, the program involves students at the John C. Page Elementary School, the Pentucket Regional Middle School, and the Pentucket Regional High School; hence, the name "Pentucket Project DARE".

The Page School Elementary Curriculum involves a seventeen lesson cooperative learning experience now presented to fifth grade students which, through the guidance of a "role-model" police officer, teaches healthy decision making skills. The students interact with one another in real-life scenario situations and critique each other's role-playing. The life-long rewards of making healthy decisions and avoiding peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol are instilled through positive feedback of real situations evolving in the community. There is also a four lesson curriculum that is presented to grades 1 through 4 which deals with personal safety issues of young children and begins a foundation for drug awareness.

The first class to graduate from the 17 lesson Elementary School Curriculum was in 1992 with Officer W. Lawrence Corcoran (Officer "Larry') being one of the first police officers in the area to receive the intensive training required to be a DARE officer. The curriculum was delivered that year to the sixth grade students. Funding for the 1992 program was through private donations. In 1993 the department applied for and was awarded a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety.

These funds provided for the Page School Elementary curriculum and allowed for additional training of Officer Corcoran for the Middle School curriculum. The 10 lesson Middle School curriculum for eighth grade students was added to the project. The focus of the Middle School Program is more adolescent-oriented and addresses issues of the early teenage years, including the life-long consequences of a criminal record with the court system. It delves into details of the criminal justice system of the immediate area and as part of the program brings the students through the (1) day "scared-straight" program at the Middleton House of Correction.

In 1994, the department applied for and received another grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS) and with these funds a second officer, Sgt. Charles Courtemanche received the Elementary School training and together with Officer Corcoran delivered the Elementary Core curriculum to both the fifth and sixth grade students at Page school. With the teaching of both grade levels this year, the program in future years could be focused on the fifth grade level without the sixth graders missing the experience of DARE. It is felt that fifth grade students are at the "crucial year" and benefit the most from the program. Grant funds also provided training to Officer Corcoran for the High School Curriculum.

In 1995, with the funding of a third Grant from EOPS, Sgt. Courtemanche was also trained in the Middle and High School Curriculum. The High School Curriculum was introduced to the tenth grade (sophomore) students. A 10 lesson program was presented which was student-interactive and dealt with "real-life" scenarios of adolescent decision making in areas of Tobacco, Alcohol and Illegal drug use, Teen Dating Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Adolescent Relationship Problems. A separate "Driver Safety" program was introduced which presented a "law enforcement" view of driver habits that students need to be aware of. This 4-lesson program was funded through a Community Policing Grand also from EOPS.

1996 saw a downturn in available funds for the DARE program. The EOPS Grant was reduced almost by one-third of the previous year's amount which, along with scheduling problems at both the Middle and Senior High School, caused a reduction of the program at the Middle school to a (5) lesson program; and at the Senior High School the program was eliminated with the exception a (1) lesson presentation made to Seniors with the emphasis on the consequences of driving while drinking alcohol. A Dating Violence Seminar was presented to the Sophomore Health Class. The Page School program and the Middle School "scared straight" program did remain intact.

1997 saw another reduction in Grant funds. The Middle School Program was reduced to a (1) lesson program to eighth graders and the High School Curriculum is only the Alcohol Awareness presentation. With the financial assistance of a Grant from the Dept. of Public Heath through the Pentucket Regional School District, the "Scared Straight" program and participation of the DARE officers in the Parent Lecture Series through the Pentucket Parents Alliance has been maintained.

Both of West Newbury's DARE officers are active members of the Pentucket Health Advisory Committee, which provides guidance in curriculum concerning adolescent health issues. Most recently a subcommittee of the Health Advisory Board did a Community Needs Assessment Survey and Study which made curriculum recommendations to the Pentucket School Committee. The detailed results of this survey are available for review in the school libraries at the Middle and High School. This Assessment took into account the results of a youth risk behavior survey, which was administered to all Middle and High School students. Indicators of this survey reveal that, although in most areas of risk behavior Pentucket Students are on a par with State and National averages, the "raw" numbers of students engaged in behaviors, including drug and alcohol use, that put them at risk should be of great concern. It is hoped that the lost ground that the local DARE program has seen in the past two years can be reversed in the near future.