D.A.R.E. Program May Return To AP

Avon and Park elementary schools might continue using the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program if a deal between the Avon Park Police Department and the Highlands County Sheriff's Office works out.

Sheriff Susan Benton told Highlands Today Tuesday that the sheriff's office would give the supplies and training for Avon Park Middle School resource officer Angie Sanchez to continue the program.

"The D.A.R.E. program is pretty ingrained in our community," Benton said.

Rumors about the future of the city's D.A.R.E. program were widespread since Doughney's announcement two weeks ago that he would ax it. He explained then that the police department had four vacancies and he needed Kevin Megnl, the city's only certified D.A.R.E. officer, to cover road patrols.

City Councilman George Hall told the rest of the council Monday evening that he heard during a recent political event a possible deal to revive the program.

Mayor Sharon Schuler said she heard an announcement from the Rotary Club that the sheriff's office would cover the program for the city, but "she (Benton) has had a meeting with our chief and that is not the direction she was going." Doughney also told the council that Benton never promised to take the program over.

Calls to Doughney for further comment were not returned Tuesday.

Benton emphasized the sheriff's office would not take over the program. Unless the contract with the Highlands County School Board changes, Avon Park would still pay half the cost of program, minus the supplies and training the sheriff's office promised to provide.

Benton said the officer at Avon Park Middle School was not yet certified, even though the sheriff's office could train her for the second semester.

The sheriff's office covers the D.A.R.E. program in all of the elementary schools located outside of Avon Park or Sebring's city limits, including the elementary schools in Lake Placid. Benton said her office once ran the D.A.R.E. program for the entire county, but Avon Park decided to use its own officers in Avon and Park elementary schools while Sebring later chose to use its Sebring Middle School officer to teach D.A.R.E. at Woodlawn Elementary. The Lake Placid Police Department never took that option.

According to the D.A.R.E. Web site, "D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives." The program is only taught through the seventh grade in the county, however.

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the range of grades where the D.A.R.E. program is taught in Highlands County.