Two Meigs County Deputies trained for D.A.R.E. Program

Two Meigs County Deputies trained for D.A.R.E. Program

POMEROY, Ohio – The Meigs County Sheriff’s Office is moving forward with implementing the D.A.R.E. Program in county school districts.

On September 23, 2019, two school resource officers, from the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, went to D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) training. According to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office, “The training was two weeks long with a very intense curriculum. The course is set up to take a lot of concentration and time. The D.A.R.E. in training officers spent countless hours during the day, evenings, and weekends preparing lesson plans for their final presentation. This class was a pass or fail type of class. Attendance was required as part of the course in order to pass. If any assignments were not fulfilled or the Purpose and Objectives of the 45-minute presentation we not met, the student could be deselected and would not continue the training.”

The D.A.R.E. training was held in Dublin, Ohio and from September 23 until October 4 with the students being allowed to return to their homes for the weekend. 

According to the press release, “Our officers stayed in Dublin throughout the course. This training was paid for through monies from the Ohio School Safety Training Grant provided to the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office by Meigs Local School District. This grant is provided per House Bill 318, which signed into law in August, appropriated $12 million for school safety initiatives, training, and school climate programs for more than 1,700 Ohio public schools. The grant was allocated to pay for the training for the two Meigs County Sheriff Deputies.”

Eastern Local School Resource Officer, Joseph Barnhart, and Meigs Middle and High School, School Resource Officer, Matthew Martin, were selected by Sheriff Keith O. Wood to attend the D.A.R.E. training. During this training the deputy’s learned classroom management techniques, learning modalities, facilitation, communication/public speaking skills and a working knowledge of the D.A.R.E. program. Deputy Barnhart and Deputy Martin were both certified in the Elementary School, Middle School, and High School curriculum, RXOTC program, as well as information needed to present Community Presentations/Enforcement lessons. 

Additionally the release stated, “The plan for D.A.R.E. is to educate all Meigs County Schools. Deputy Martin started the D.A.R.E. program at Meigs Middle School on November 13, 2019, teaching the entire sixth grade. This course runs approximately ten weeks without breaks and 45-minute lessons per class. The deputies plan to start courses with each school district as they are able too.”