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Berwick Area SD to pilot DARE for eighth-graders May 7–23; elementary rollout planned
Summary
Officer Gopa Chi updated the Berwick Area School District on a DARE pilot for eighth graders running May 7–23, with materials already on site and plans to expand to sixth grade and elementary grades next year.
Officer Gopa Chi gave the board a status update on a DARE drug-education pilot the district will run for middle-school students in May.
The two-minute presentation said the program will be a 10-class course for eighth graders, with each class about 40 minutes. Classes are scheduled to run May 7 through May 23 so they do not interrupt Pennsylvania System of School Assessment testing, and materials for the pilot and for next year’s full curriculum have already been ordered and are stored at the middle school.
District leaders said the pilot will allow larger-than-normal class sizes this year to fit the schedule, with plans to reduce sizes to normal levels next year. The presenter said the program will be offered to sixth grade in the following school year and that elementary students in kindergarten through second grade will receive a much shorter, age-appropriate introduction after minor scheduling details are worked out.
Officer Gopa Chi said the class is designed to be engaging: "It's a fun class. It's a fun course." He and school staff said the sessions for the pilot will be held in the middle-school library.
Board members and staff also discussed funding for future materials. Officer Gopa Chi said he anticipates that donations from local charitable organizations such as the Masonic Lodge, the AMVETS and the American Legion would cover future material costs.
No formal vote on the DARE pilot was recorded in the meeting transcript; the presentation was given during administrative/agenda reports and followed by brief questions.
