Tim Schennum

Tim Schennum is a police officer in Costa Mesa, California, where he supervises the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. In the following viewpoint Schennum asserts that DARE teaches young students more than how to resist getting involved in drugs; it also teaches students skills to overcome peer pressure, how to avoid violence in various situations, and how to make proper decisions. Schennum admits that no program is 100 percent successful in keeping children away from drugs, but he contends that any program that tries to teach students to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes should be applauded.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Which DARE programs have been revised, according to Schennum?
2. DARE is taught in how many school districts as cited by the author?
3. How long...