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D.A.R.E. MS

The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program began in Mississippi in 1988. It started out in only a few departments. Now there are over 125 certified officers in this state alone. Students are now taught various aspects of the D.A.R.E. Program in K – 12th grades.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, the pioneer prevention effort founded in Los Angeles in 1983, is high-tech, interactive, and decision-model-based. Gleaming with the latest in prevention science and teaching techniques, D.A.R.E. has reinvented itself as part of a major national research study that promises to help teachers and administrators cope with ever-evolving federal prevention program requirements and the thorny issues of school violence, budget cuts, and terrorism.

Gone is the old-style approach to prevention in which an officer stands behind a podium and lectures students in straight rows. D.A.R.E. officers are now trained as “coaches” to support kids who are using research-based refusal strategies in high-stakes peer-pressure environments. D.A.R.E. students are now getting to see for themselves — via multimedia — tangible proof of how substances diminish mental activity, emotions, coordination and movement.

With research showing that adolescents, in particular, need to be involved in the learning process, experts shifted the focus in the D.A.R.E. curriculum to include officer-facilitated work, discussion groups, and role-playing sessions. D.A.R.E. is now about giving kids the skills and information they need to make good life choices.

 

D.A.R.E. Officer Updates

2025 Basic DARE Officer Trainings

2025 Basic MS/AL DARE Officer Training January 27 – Feb 6, 2025 Louisville, MS at Lake Tiak O’Khata $1,899 (includes all lodging, lunches, breaks, materials, and training supplies) September 2025 TBA DOT Application Contact: Lt. Sheri Hall – 662.871.4807 SEND EMAIL

2024 National DARE Officer of the Year

Corporal Tonya McWhirter, Starkville Police Department We could not be more proud to congratulate Mississippi’s own for receiving this prestigious award. Cpl. McWhirter serves as a DARE Officer in her community and a Mentor on the MS/AL DARE Training Team. Anyone who knows her knows that she has a passion for making a difference! NEWS […]

2024 Mississippi DARE Scholarship Opportunities

The DARE Officers Association of Mississippi is proud to announce three $500 scholarships available for Mississippi students in 2024. The link to the packet is below – It includes information, requirements, and dates/deadlines: download: 2024 scholarship package There will be one winner in each region: North Mississippi, Central Mississippi, & South Mississippi. DEADLINE: Must be […]