Original Article DARE becoming rarer Drug-prevention program cut back Colleen Sparks The Arizona Republic Sept. 19, 2005 12:00 AM Phoenix is the latest Valley city to cut the well-known DARE program from its schools, citing budget constraints and lack of evidence that it prevents students from using drugs. Mesa and Scottsdale police already cut DARE while other cities, including Chandler and Paradise Valley, have managed to hold onto it. Schools have been replacing it with other anti-drug programs, including one where police officers teach students about the legal consequences of being caught with drugs and the dangers of drinking and driving. DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, has drawn criticism in studies the past several years. The then General Accounting Office in a 2002 study, for example, found no "significant differences" in illicit drug use between students who took DARE and those who didn't. But Valley parents, police and teachers relate countless stories about how DARE works. "I've not only seen the effect it had on the students, but I've had students from the past come back" to say it helped them, said Arlen Sykes, a teacher at Kyrene de la Colina Elementary School in Ahwatukee. One of his former students, Alexis Runninger, 13, now an Ahwatukee eighth-grader, said she hears classmates talk about using marijuana but she wouldn't consider it because of DARE. "I would have never learned that they were bad for me," Alexis said. Phoenix police liked the program but couldn't afford to keep it and still have enough money to combat crime, said Kim Humphrey, public-affairs commander for the police department. The department will use the $500,000 DARE costs to add a vice squad to fight prostitution and related crimes, he said. Phoenix police started cutting back DARE a few years ago because the city faced a budget crunch, said Phoenix police Sgt. Colin Pierce, a former DARE officer who now heads the school resource officer program. Six DARE police officers and a police sergeant served Phoenix schools last school year, which was down from 18 officers and two sergeants about two years ago, Pierce said. Phoenix paid the entire cost of the DARE program, though in some cities schools help pay for it. About 50 law enforcement agencies in Arizona still teach DARE, said Dave Parsons, a DARE officer in Chandler and president of the Arizona DARE Officers Association. In DARE, police officers are assigned fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms to visit for 10 weeks. Officers offer students ways to say "no" to drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In a sixth-grade classroom at Hartford Elementary School in Chandler recently, DARE Officer Daniel Chavarria talked about an underage college student who died from excessive alcohol consumption, and warned students of dangers linked to smoking and drinking. Rene Montao, 12, said he learned that drugs can cause short-term memory loss or death and he "would always say 'no' to drugs and alcohol because Officer Dan taught us a lot." Chavarria said the DARE officers are also a source of support for kids. Phoenix police Sgt. James Collins, a former DARE program supervisor, agreed. "To see the relationship between the officers and the kids . . . was priceless," he explained. Years ago in the Madison School District, students and staff produced a musical about a DARE officer. Not all are abandoning the program. DARE is in three private schools and two public schools in Paradise Valley, said Police Chief John Wintersteen. "It's really valued by the parents and the schools," he said. A Nov. 12 vintage car show will benefit the police department's DARE program, he said. The fund-raiser will help pay for T-shirts and other extras for the program. Other schools are trying new anti-drug programs. Starting this winter in Ahwatukee elementary schools, administrators will teach fifth-graders how to say "no" to tobacco, alcohol and drugs, said Samantha Heinrich, who manages prevention programs in the Kyrene Elementary School District. She hopes police officers will visit the classes. The district will also provide workshops for parents on helping their children make healthy decisions, Heinrich said. Next year in the Scottsdale Unified School District, where DARE ended in city schools a few years ago, teachers will help middle school students learn to say "yes" to positive behaviors, said Marla Abramowitz, prevention coordinator for the district.