The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse resistance Education) program was started in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Unified School System. D.A.R.E. has spread to fifty states and many countries around the world. The purpose of the D.A.R.E. program is to help children stay off drugs and avoid violence.
The core curriculum is taught to either fifth or sixth grade students, whichever grade is higher in the elementary school. These grades are selected because once the students enter the middle school, they are less supervised. This is where they are more likely to be asked to use what are called the gateway drugs: alcohol, marijuana and tobacco.
As part of the program, members of the D.A.R.E. Unit perform fingerprinting of students at schools and other public functions throughout Cortland County.