Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb Appeals for D.AR.E. Program Funding

Sheriff Rocky Holcomb has asked members of City Council and the School Board to look for funding to reinstate the D.A.R.E. program in Virginia Beach. Here is the letter he sent to council and the board on Thursday.

“It is my request to the Virginia Beach School Board and City Council that, during this budget season, we identify a way to fund and reinstate the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

“As you may know, the D.A.R.E. program was cut in 2015 due to budgetary constraints. At the time, the program cost about $780,000 a year and was run by the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. In addition, D.A.R.E. has revamped its curriculum over the last 10 years, with studies showing that it is more effective than past programs, with D.A.R.E. students being less likely to use drugs than their peers.

“Over the years we have seen an increase in bullying, gang activity, drug use, and exposure to fentanyl. This is very concerning to all our citizens, and I believe that D.A.R.E. will have a positive impact in reversing these trends. Beyond drug prevention, D.A.R.E. fosters essential skills like communication, self-esteem building, and positive interactions with authority figures, including law enforcement. These are all crucial for our children’s healthy development and the health and safety of our community.”

“For these reasons, it is my request that we find funding to get D.A.R.E. back into our elementary schools. To do so, we will need support from the School Board and City Council to find funding for this essential program, but — once funded — my staff and I stand ready to do the heavy lifting to reimplement the program even better than it was.”