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Officer outlines return of DARE to district elementary schools, emphasizes decision-making model
Summary
Grants Pass SD 7 school resource officers have restarted a DARE curriculum for fifth graders across district elementary schools, emphasizing decision-making, resistance strategies and help networks. Presenters described implementation and early classroom responses.
Officer Fraunfelter, a school resource officer, told the Grants Pass School Board that the district has restarted the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) curriculum for fifth-grade students across the district’s elementary schools. “We have the DARE model for decision making: define, assess, respond, and evaluate,” Officer Fraunfelter said, describing the curriculum’s core approach.
The officer and Hyland Elementary staff said the program was delivered in-class and in gym presentations to groups of fifth graders. Fraunfelter said lessons link to the district’s existing social-emotional curriculum and cover alcohol and tobacco, communication and bullying prevention, stress management, and how to identify a trusted “help network.” He added that lessons use scenario-based activities and skits so students apply the decision-making model to everyday problems as well as substance-related situations.
“I don’t think any of the kids have done drugs since we started the program,” Fraunfelter told the board when asked about measurable outcomes; he immediately qualified the remark, acknowledging the program cannot guarantee lifetime behavior but said it gives students more knowledge for future decisions.
Board members and staff discussed the age-appropriateness of content. One board member urged care in pushing curriculum into lower grades and asked staff to watch for harm if material outpaced students’ capacity to understand. Fraunfelter and school staff said lessons are age-calibrated and that they use classroom activities and question boxes (anonymous or named) to surface students’ concerns and follow up with teachers or families.
District staff said the rollout included at least one training course for SROs; Fraunfelter described a week-long DARE training he attended and the subsequent adaptation to elementary settings. He reported delivering lessons at Riverside, Allendale and Redwood during early 2025 and said participation across all six district elementary schools is part of the plan.
Board members asked about regional coordination; Fraunfelter said local SROs meet at a regional SRO breakfast and compare lesson implementation with neighboring districts.
Board members did not take formal action on the DARE presentation; it was for information and questions.
The district presentation included examples of student reactions, lesson materials and classroom strategies to connect DARE topics to the district’s PBIS expectations (Be safe, be respectful, be responsible, be kind).
