$32K Grant Given To Strongsville For Drug Education

STRONGSVILLE, OH — The state is granting $32,838 to the city of Strongsville for drug use and prevention education. The money will primarily be used for the city's D.A.R.E. program, Police Chief Mark Fender told Patch.

"The D.A.R.E. Grant is vitally important to our D.A.R.E. Program in the City of Strongsville. It allows us to run a strong D.A.R.E. education program along with many other events/venues that really help us assist the youth of our city, helping them chose the right path," Fender said in an email.

Strongsville's D.A.R.E. program includes one D.A.R.E. officer, and two School Resource Officers (placed in the district's middle schools and at Strongsville High). Officer Don Poney is the city's full time D.A.R.E. officer. He will be teaching D.A.R.E. curriculum to both 5th graders and 8th graders.

D.A.R.E. officers in the city also prepare lessons, run graduation ceremonies, and run events like D.A.R.E. Day, Reality Day's, Halloween Parties, Ice & Roller Skating events, Dances and more. There is also a full time D.A.R.E. Role Model Program for 250 high school role models.

Here are some of the things our D.A.R.E. grant allows us to do, keeping in mind we self-fund parts of this too:

"[Poney] utilizes D.A.R.E. graduates to assist in multiple summer Safety Town programs to also serve as role models to the young children. Our School Resource Officers (Koenig & Mendise) are assigned to the schools for the entire academic year and Officer Koenig will be teaching lessons from "HOPE"; the Health and Opioid Prevention Education Curriculum," Fender added.

The grant money awarded to Strongsville came through Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office. More than $3 million in grants were given to 152 sheriffs offices and police departments. “Age-appropriate substance abuse prevention education every year, at every grade level is key,” DeWine said in a statment. “Evidence-based prevention education helps students develop the skills they need to make good decisions, stay drug-free, and live healthier lives.”

“The Strongsville D.A.R.E. Officer will be employing the official "D.A.R.E. OTC/RX Drug Abuse Program" in the Strongsville City School District," Fender noted. "He has received official training on this program and therefore it will be the program used for prescription drug education."

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