The New D.A.R.E. program is setting the gold standard for the future, says Charlie Parsons, Executive Director of D.A.R.E. America, Prevention inside the 21st century school house will need to be diverse, accountable, and mean more things to more people, particularly with the safety issues that have emerged since Columbine and terrorist alerts. Thats one reason why every New D.A.R.E. officer is also being trained as a certified School Resource Officer (SRO).

The New D.A.R.E. curriculum is in its third year of a five-year national research effort funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Under the direction of principal investigator, Dr. Zili Sloboda, the University of Akrons Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention Study is a rigorous scientific evaluation of the New D.A.R.E. curriculum designed to blend the latest in prevention science with the nations largest prevention delivery network the D.A.R.E. program.

D.A.R.E. teaches kids how to recognize and resist the direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. And since between 70% and 90% of all crime is drug related, it is absolutely vital that we reach the children of America before it is too late.

The D.A.R.E. program is usually introduced to children in the 5th or 6th grade. A specially trained officer comes into your school and teaches the children. D.A.R.E. has launched a new elementary and a new middle school curriculum this year.

The D.A.R.E. program is offered to all sixth grade children at the Monmouth Beach Elementary School.  The program is under the direction of Ptl. Jones.