Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 105 Part 1.djvu/398

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105 STAT. 370 PUBLIC LAW 102-78—AUG. 2, 1991 Public Law 102-78 102d Congress Joint Resolution Aug. 2, 1991 [S.J. Res. 121] Designating September 12, 1991, as "National D.A.R.E. Day". Whereas D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is the largest and most effective drug-use prevention education program in the United States, and is now taught to 20 million youths in grades K-12; Whereas D.A.R.E. is taught in more than 150,000 classrooms, reaching more than 3,500 communities in all Department of Defense Dependent Schools worldwide; Whereas the D.A.R.E. program has become a model drug prevention program for other countries and is now taught in Australia, New Zeadand, American Samoa, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico; Whereas the D.A.R.E. core curriculum, developed by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District, helps prevent substance abuse among school-age children by providing students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs, by teaching students decisionmaking skills and the consequences of their behavior and by building students' self- esteem while teaching them how to resist peer pressure; Whereas D.A.R.E. provides parents with information and guidance to further their children's development and to reinforce their decisions to lead drug-free lives; Whereas the D.A.R.E. program is taught by veteran poUce officers who come straight from the streets with years of direct experience with ruined lives caused by substance abuse, giving them a credibility unmatched by teachers, celebrities, or professional athletes; Whereas each police officer who teaches the D.A.R.E. Program completes 80 hours of specialized training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills; and Whereas D.A.R.E., according to independent research, substantially impacts students' attitudes toward substance use and contributes to improved study habits, higher grades, decreased vandalism and gang activity, and generates greater respect for police officers: Now, therefore, be it