Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)

D.A.R.E. Elementary Program

The Kenner Police Department offers a Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E. Program, to students in grades K-5. The 5th grade D.A.R.E. classes are offered in 45-60 minute increments one day per week for 17 weeks.

The curriculum, which is constantly updated, teaches pupils to resist drugs and violence by focusing on the development of self-esteem, fostering communication, and encouraging social bonding with family, school and community. The child is encouraged to develop what is unique and special about him, and to explore options that are positive and productive, which is in direct contrast to abusing drugs and seeing violence as a solution.

 Students are taught to identify and respond effectively to the pressures that influence them to experiment with illegal substances or become involved in gangs. The classes focus on alternatives that teach youngsters to resolve problems in a nonviolent manner, including the development of social competence, empathy, decision-making skills, conflict resolution, sense of purpose and independence. By teaching students important concepts like compromise, waiting to resolve a problem until both parties have had a chance to cool off, and asking for a moderator, students are less apt to act in anger.

At the conclusion of instruction, students must write an essay detailing the importance of remaining drug free. As part of the program, D.A.R.E. students meet high school seniors who function as role models, imparting information about middle and high school. The students will participate in a school-wide D.A.R.E. culmination or graduation ceremony.

D.A.R.E. Middle School Program

The Kenner Police Department has a certified D.A.R.E. Middle School Instructor. The middle-school level enforces the elementary-level D.A.R.E. curriculum. This program is implemented in the 7th grade. The D.A.R.E. middle school program is presented in a ten-day block format. Follow up lessons are also presented in the 8th grade through a five-day Judicial Consequences lecture.

School Crises Prevention Programs

Since 1993, the Kenner Police Department hosts an annual School Violence Forum each March. The purpose of the forum is to provide an arena for educators to network and identify resources that are available to them within the community. During the event, local judges, representatives from Safe and Drug Free Schools and the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office, as well local Human Health Services personnel presented information on preventing crises by identifying students with potential problems and preparing for an emergency should one occur. Representatives from federal level organizations and administrators, including from the CIA and FBI speak to school personnel about school violence and crisis planning. Representatives from public and private schools from Kenner and its surrounding areas, as well as business and community leaders also attend the event.

A Senate Bill passed in 2001 that required all Louisiana schools, by January 1, 2002, to have a written, school board approved plan for responding to a crisis, such as a school shooting. The State Attorney General’s Office provides ongoing assistance, assessment training and evaluation to help schools maintain their response plans. The Kenner Police Department is on the leading edge of supporting this program in Southeastern Louisiana, having developed a crises response plan and conducting a practice School Crisis Drill at Roosevelt Middle School in Kenner in 2001. In 2002, the department hosted a Regional School Crises Training session, during which representatives from federal law enforcement agencies, local law enforcement agencies, school boards and emergency personnel gather to receive continuous training in school crises prevention and management.

The Kenner Police Department also hosts Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training for representatives from local schools is also held at the department’s Training Center. Teachers and other school personnel use CPI to manage children who have emotional difficulties in school and who may become verbally or physically aggressive. Kenner D.A.R.E. Officers and representatives from Safe and Drug Free Schools collaborate to assemble and train CPI teams for local schools. Members of the CPI team participate in a two-day training session and are taught to diffuse a potentially harmful situation by using verbal techniques first and then physical techniques, which are not at all harmful and meant for restraint only, as a last resort. CPI is meant to help prevent school crises and foster improved social skills in children.

Mentor Training Camp

Each summer, Kenner's D.A.R.E. unit sponsors a mentor camp for fourteen-nineteen year-olds featuring direction in teen-related health issues, nutrition, job search skills, etiquette and business protocol, finance, leadership, stress and anger management, as well as the dangers of miscommunications. The program, which is co-sponsored by the Kenner Housing Authority, selects participants based on their leadership skills so that they may serve as role models and impart this information to their peers. The camp concludes with a recreational trip and luncheon. In the past, the kids have gone to a water park for an afternoon of fun. Recently, former participants of this camp, some now in college, have returned to conduct classes of their own at the camp.

Judicial Consequences

This program communicates current laws on the books of the Louisiana Criminal Code to at risk-youngsters in the Robert L. Rivarde Juvenile Detention Center. This program is geared to young people who have already gotten in trouble with the law. The primary focus is crimes against persons. This information is imparted to the residents to facilitate understanding of the prevailing laws in our society, with the hope that the knowledge will enable them to make more productive, better choices. The discussion also focuses on putting a face on the victim of these crimes. Open discussion of the law is encouraged through case studies and role-playing.

Resources for Parents with Troubled Youngsters

Trained D.A.R.E. officers conduct assistance sessions with parents who need outside aid or guidance with their children. The focus is on evoking open discussion and understanding each other's roles as parent and child. Information is passed to both parties about laws that both should be aware of. The child is also alerted to their responsibility and conformity to parents' rules.

Community Programs

D.A.R.E. Instructors also participate in the nationally validated Helping One Student To Succeed, or HOST Program. The instructor works with two children for one-half hour each once per week. The program enables the student to excel in math/language arts by providing a mentor to assist and encourage to at-risk students.