D.A.R.E.

GHDPS participates in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.  D.A.R.E. gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressure that leads to experimentation with drugs. D.A.R.E. permits students to see officers in a helping role, not just an enforcement role.  D.A.R.E. also helps build relationships between our community's youth and law enforcement.

The salary of the D.A.R.E. Officer is shared through funding from the schools, community, local D.A.R.E. Association and funding received from the United Way.  D.A.R.E. is taught in both of the middle schools and in the two parochial elementary schools within the City of Grand Haven, reaching approximately 1,800 students per school year through the use of group facilitation, collaborative learning, role playing and school/parental involvement.

The D.A.R.E. program focuses on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, different laws, how to form safe and healthy relationships, peer pressure, media influences, violence and different ways to deal with stress. The D.A.R.E. Officer also visits K-5 classes providing them with different safety tips.  The D.A.R.E. program continues to remain the nation’s largest and best-known substance abuse prevention program.

In addition to teaching D.A.R.E., Officer Albright works closely with school personnel, Ottawa County ISD and the Ottawa County juvenile courts to ensure a safe, comfortable learning environment for all students.