Bridgehampton Students Fight Back Against Drug Addiction

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — Even the youngest students can fight back in a big way against drugs.

Bridgehampton Schools' sixth grade students are participating in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, program, the district said.

The DARE program "is the most comprehensive drug prevention program taught in thousands of schools throughout America. With its mission to teach students good decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives, the program is being run in conjunction with the Southampton Police Department and is being taught by Southampton Town Police Officer Eugene LaFurno," the district said.

According to the D.A.R.E. website, the program was created after a time during the 1970s and early 1980s when youth were facing the challenges of "unparalleled drug abuse." Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Unified School District, in 1983, "launched an unprecedented and innovative substance abuse prevention education program," the site said.

Today, the D.A.R.E. program is comprised of thousands of officers and educators across the nation and globe, the site said.