PGSD officer Maria Lopez is the newest SRO to receive her DARE certification.

Officer Lopez completed an intense, two week training, which was hosted in D’Iberville this year. During her program training, she developed the skills and comfortability to bring the updated curriculum and lessons to PGSD. Those include vaping prevention, cyberbullying prevention, social media safety and life skills for a safe and healthy lifestyle. Officer Lopez learned how to manage a classroom and present the lesson plans that she builds.

While most parents remember DARE from their school days, the program has completely revamped. The drug prevention and education program now has a focus on community relations. Officers are trained to build and strengthen those relationships and trust with their community and to pass that on through lessons with students.

Officer Lopez says she most excited to work with PGSD students one-on-one and get to hear from them when she’s in the classroom. The lesson plan is very interactive, and students get to directly ask her questions about the class and her position as a law enforcement officer. It’s all about learning ‘from kids, to kids, through kids’ with the DARE program. Officer Lopez will also help PGSD promote a more equitable opportunity with DARE with our Spanish-speaking students.

Officer Lopez joins several other PGSD officers who are certified with DARE. The SROs host 10-week courses for students in the academies, looking at social-emotional learning as students continue to develop. They focus on basic skills and developmental processes - like self-awareness, decision making, empathy, sympathy, communication skills, handling challenges and responsibility.