A drug resistance education program at Foothills School Division will no longer be mandatory for Grade 5 students, however the division has put enough money in the kitty for individuals schools to continue in 2019-20.
“I don’t really know what this means to me just yet, administratively it means it will be a little bit more difficult,” said Laurie McCreary-Burke DARE [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] Works Foothills Society executive director. “We serve 14 schools, so now it could be 14 different ways of doing funding.”
Trustees opted at their March 27 meeting to put the division’s share of funding for the program, approximately $19,000, in a reserve, which would allow individual schools to decide if they wish to teach the program. Schools that opt out of the program can use their portion of the funds for other Grade 5 health-related programs.
The bill for the program is about $60,000 — $90 per student — and is paid for by stakeholders, which include Foothills School Division, Foothills County and the Towns of Black Diamond, Turner Valley, Okotoks, High River and the Village of Longview.
Caroline Roberts, division assistant superintendent, told trustees parents gave favourable comments about the program, including their children learn life skills beyond drug resistance and one parent commented how DARE has opened up more communication with their child.
Roberts added the parents also indicate they valued the small graduating program for students when they complete the nine-week program. She said comments from school administrators and teachers were the program needs updating and more follow-up to determine the effectiveness of DARE.
The program began in the Foothills area approximately 21 years when originally it was an RCMP officer teaching drug resistance strategies and life skills, such as treating peers with respect, anti-bullying and other issues. Municipal enforcement officers under the direction of Okotoks’ officer Melanie Glanville, the DARE co-ordinator, and Black Diamond municipal officer Jim Berry, are now teaching it.
