100 signatures reached
To: Superintendent Young and the BUSD Governing Board
Get D.A.R.E. out of Benicia Public Schools
As concerned students, parents and residents of Benicia, we are demanding that Benicia Unified remove the problematic and ineffective Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) from its schools.
At present, Benicia Unified is the only district within Solano County that still utilizes this program.
This is without justification as at least 30 studies have proven the inefficacy of D.A.R.E. To the extent that counseling or interventions are necessary, the hiring of dedicated professionally trained counselors would best.
Most importantly, the recent police incident in which officers arrived in full tactical gear and proceeded to hand out “thin blue line shirts” to students is a clear indication that the program is not only poorly conceived but poorly executed. Given the racial disparities in police contact, school discipline and the racialized war on drugs, such a program is not an adequate means of building community relationships with disenfranchised people. The tone-deafness of the t-shirt giveaway and display of force by the police are clear indications that they are not well suited to execute community education of any kind.
Benicia Unified needs to live up to its diversity and equity rhetoric. A first step towards achieving those ends is eliminating this harmful program from its schools. Please sign this petition to show your support for removing D.A.R.E. from Benicia public schools.
At present, Benicia Unified is the only district within Solano County that still utilizes this program.
This is without justification as at least 30 studies have proven the inefficacy of D.A.R.E. To the extent that counseling or interventions are necessary, the hiring of dedicated professionally trained counselors would best.
Most importantly, the recent police incident in which officers arrived in full tactical gear and proceeded to hand out “thin blue line shirts” to students is a clear indication that the program is not only poorly conceived but poorly executed. Given the racial disparities in police contact, school discipline and the racialized war on drugs, such a program is not an adequate means of building community relationships with disenfranchised people. The tone-deafness of the t-shirt giveaway and display of force by the police are clear indications that they are not well suited to execute community education of any kind.
Benicia Unified needs to live up to its diversity and equity rhetoric. A first step towards achieving those ends is eliminating this harmful program from its schools. Please sign this petition to show your support for removing D.A.R.E. from Benicia public schools.
Why is this important?
Benicia is facing a racial and political reckoning. The community is calling for increased accountability from our schools, our elected officials and our communities. Now is the time to take action to make the world and community we envision a reality.
How it will be delivered
Via email and/or in person.