D.A.R.E. Program Starting in Oakes

The D.A.R.E. decision-making program is coming to the Oakes Public School this fall. The program, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, will start with a 10-week program implemented into the regular curriculum, that will be taught to 5th and 7th graders. There will also be lessons taught to kids of all ages and even information for parents. D.A.R.E. is a valuable outreach program which is highly successful in building strong relationships between students, parents, school staff, and our department.

Officer Jeremy Sitzler has been assigned to manage the program. Officer Sitzler attended and passed a two-week training course in order to obtain his certification from D.A.R.E. America. Officer Sitzler will change roles to be the School Resource Officer when school begins next month. He will still be employed with the Oakes Police Department. While it’s still in the early stages of development, Officer Sitzler understands how vital the D.A.R.E. program is to the school district. “The fifth and seventh graders will meet with me for 10 weeks and go through a workbook with situations pertaining to each week’s lesson”, Officer Sitzler said. “At the end of the program the students receive a D.A.R.E. certificate and have a graduation ceremony.”

Chief O’Brien is excited to have Officer Sitzler in the school and building positive relationships with our youth in the community. Chief O’Brien believes adding a School Resource Officer and starting the D.A.R.E. program is important for the entire community.

If you have any further questions about the D.A.R.E. program, would like to see how you can further support the program, or just wanted to reach out to the D.A.R.E. Officer please contact Officer Jeremy Sitzler at [email protected]