The battle against substance abuse is always raging, and the D.A.R.E. [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] program is taking that battle to the schools. Offered at North Canton Middle School as part of the wellness class, D.A.R.E. is a program that has police officer-led lessons that teach children from kindergarten to 12th grade to live lives that are drug, alcohol and violence-free. The D.A.R.E program helps 2,500,000 students every year learn about making the right choices and living long healthy lives through raising awareness, encouraging smart decisions and fostering a drug-free generation.

Each Wednesday, North Canton School Resource Officer Phil Taylor with the North Canton Police Department comes in to teach students D.A.R.E. He elaborated on the program and its implementation in the North Canton City Schools district.

“D.A.R.E. started back in 1983, and it’s one of the leading drug prevention programs in the world,” he said. “After a 12-year hiatus, [North Canton Police] Chief Frank Kemp ended up having people in the community asking if we’re going to bring it back and that they’d like to have it brought back. So, he approached me about three years ago, and I told him I’d like to do it.”

D.A.R.E., taught to children as young as kindergartners, can truly change the outlook of their future. In this program, they’re given lessons
on how to correctly assess their options and what comes along with the choices and decisions they make.

“It’s about your options, your choices, consequences, and how to make good decisions when you’re put into a situation, or a situation finds you — to be able to use the D.A.R.E.,” Taylor said. “We call it ‘keeping it R.E.A.L.’ R.E.A.L. is an acronym for refuse, explain, avoid, or leave.” NCMS Principal Mr. David Eby spoke of the program’s benefit.

“I believe this program is beneficial to children at the middle school level as we are seeing an increase in the use of vapes and other controlled substances at a younger age,” he said. “D.A.R.E. was developed to prevent students from using drugs and alcohol as well as educating them about the negative consequences of those choices. Many times, young students try different items such as vapes without an understanding of the health and social complications of such a choice.”

Not only does D.A.R.E. educate students to prevent them from using substances, but it also gives them real-life scenarios and how to address them.

“We talk about ways to get you out of situations, again with the R.E.A.L. strategies,” Taylor said. “Can we refuse a situation? Can we maybe refuse and say no — and then, explain why?”

In addition to the D.A.R.E. program, there is another addition to the North Canton Police Department and North Canton City Schools — and his name is Kona, the canine support dog.

“Kona, right now, is an eight-month-old Aussie-doodle,” Taylor said. “He was born on Feb. 7. The chief had brought it up about getting a therapy dog program up and running. In Stark County, we do have some therapy dogs, but not a lot of them. They are used mostly in nursing homes and hospitals, where we are using him in our community and our schools.”

Having a therapy dog in the school district can help students by putting a smile on their faces. Spending one-on-one time with Kona, or even just passing him in the hallway can really make an impact on a student’s day.

“Kona helps people who have had traumatic experiences or are experiencing high anxiety or something else that is taking them out of their norm,” Taylor said. “He’s supposed to help them get back into that copacetic someplace, so they’re not at a high or a low, they’re right in the middle where they need to be.”

NCMS seventh-grader Phillip Ogilvie sees Officer Taylor and Kona in action every Wednesday in wellness class when it is time to learn about D.A.R.E.

“Wellness class is a class that teaches students life skills for physical, mental, and emotional health,” he said. “The most important thing I learned in DARE is to stay away from drugs and alcohol because they can negatively impact your body in the long-term.”

With Kona being a therapy dog, and Officer Taylor not only being his handler but also a D.A.R.E teacher, they fit right in at the middle school’s wellness class.

“Kona is a very cute dog,” Ogilvie said. “He is easy-going, and he always puts the class in a great mood. The coolest thing about Kona in my opinion is that he very rarely leaves Officer Taylor’s side. You can tell that Kona is very loyal to Officer Taylor and trusts him a lot.”

Kona has helped students in the district from his arrival.

“Within the first couple days of coming back to school, one of the best experiences we’ve had [involved] a child who does have some physical and mental disabilities, and was having a hard time taking his medication,” Taylor said. “They asked us to come down. Kona came right up to him and I had him put his paws on my leg and told the kid, ‘As long as you hold his paw, you’ll be able to take your medication.’ He immediately put his hand on his paw and took his medication without any problems whatsoever.”

With D.A.R.E back in the North Canton City School district and being taught to students, and the new addition of Kona, there have been plenty of positive feedback from both students and staff.

“It is important to teach D.A.R.E. to students because it helps students learn the effects drugs and alcohol can have on your body, and how to say no to them,” Ogilvie said. “I think the school should continue to teach D.A.R.E., because students may do drugs or alcohol because they think it makes them look cool, but it’s important to teach them how what they are doing is hurting them. And by teaching them that, you may prevent them from starting in the first place.”