D.A.R.E. Instructors Educate Students on Drug Use

With April 14, 2023 proclaimed D.A.R.E. Day by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. D.A.R.E. instructors across the state have been teaching evidence based curriculum to students to help them resist drugs, make good choices and to be safe and responsible. D.A.R.E. is taught in all school districts within Bremer County by Deputy Kyle Shores.

About D.A.R.E. in Bremer

The Bremer County Sheriff’s Office has a School Resource Officer and D.A.R.E. Instructor they are able to provide to School Districts in Bremer County. Those schools include; Janesville Consolidated School District, Denver Community School District, Tripoli Community School District, Wapsie Valley Community School District, and Sumner/Fredericksburg Community School District.

The school resource officer program was implemented to focus on better serving the county through Community Oriented Policing. Our office has a goal to create and maintain a safe, secure, and orderly learning environment by working with the schools administrative team to help solve problems and deal with law related issues. We plan to build a stronger relationship between law enforcement and the youth at the school. The SRO provides educational instruction through the D.A.R.E. program and the basic understanding of laws.

Today’s D.A.R.E. meets the common core standards and is the largest prevention program in the USA, the curriculum is taught in over 43 countries around the world. The D.A.R.E. curriculum is taught to approximately 500 students at our five different schools. The DARE Program promotes making good decisions and choices based on the facts and the information the student has available, Define, Assess, Respond, and Evaluate!! The Jr. High DARE Classes revolve around Four strategies that have been proven to work for teenagers, this was based on over 20 years of research. The Keepin It REAL Curriculum, Refuse, Explain, Avoid, and Leave. We provide classroom instruction K-12 on a large variety of topics concerning the safety of all our students. By providing Preventative instruction as well as Intervention in current events, it is our goal that all students feel safe in the school environment offering each individual every opportunity for success.

Any criminal or law related issues that arise on campuses is the SRO’s responsibility. The SRO will work closely with school administration to ensure the matter is handled quickly and professionally. Our SRO has coordinated with school faculty to develop plans and strategies to prevent and minimize potentially dangerous situations such as unwanted guests or intruders into the building.

Deputy Kyle Shores is the SRO and DARE Instructor in Bremer County. He has been with the sheriff’s office since 2009 and has 18 years of law enforcement experience. Shores is a member of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), and D.A.R.E. Iowa. He completed D.A.R.E. Officer Training in 2018 and Basic School Resource Officer Training in 2019.