Santa Clara Unified: BRAVE is the new DARE

The Santa Clara Unified Board of Trustees got their first look at the new BRAVE program that will replace DARE. They also got the opportunity to hear about the funds raised by the Santa Clara Schools Foundation and the good their high school volunteers do for the community.

 

BRAVE

Remember DARE? It stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and the program was taught for 40 years. Well, now there’s a new and improved version made specifically for Santa Clara students called Building Respect, Awareness, and Values through Education (BRAVE).

Officer Stephanie Knight said that DARE was proprietary, couldn’t be edited by them, and hadn’t been updated since 2012. This created a need for a new program, so in collaboration with the Santa Clara Police Department, Santa Clara Unified School District, and a vendor, they developed this customized program for Santa Clara students.

BRAVE is taught by uniformed officers to fourth graders and is seven weeks long. Lessons cover responsibility, communication, peer pressure, bullying, cyber bullying & cyber safety, and substance awareness. Then there is a review and graduation ceremony at the end of the program.

Knight also introduced Walsh, the new mascot for the BRAVE program. He is named in honor of Sean Walsh, an SCPD Police Explorer who died while serving in Afghanistan. The Sean M. Walsh K-9 Memorial Foundation has supported law enforcement K-9s for years.

The BRAVE pilot program started in September and they will have their first graduation ceremony soon. After the pilot, they will reevaluate and make any needed changes before expanding to all elementary schools in Santa Clara. Santa Clara PD and the District will continue to monitor the BRAVE program through surveys, teacher feedback, and more. Board Vice President Bonnie Lieberman said she’s already heard glowing reviews from a teacher in the pilot.

 

Santa Clara Schools Foundation

The Santa Clara Schools Foundation invested $146,000 into the District during the 2023 – 2024 school year. They also helped secure $72,000 for community partners. These funds go towards educational projects, equipment, and programs across the District.

“The foundation has helped District-wide events, secured materials for classrooms, and funded the shirts and transportation for the Special Olympics this year,” said Michelle Wu, a SCSF volunteer and Wilcox High School student.

SCSF relies on high school volunteers like Wu and fellow Wilcox student Mihir Vinnakota. The Foundation takes on volunteers for summer service learning projects, but they want to expand to year-long projects. They also want to open the service learning program to more high schools.

“Every activity and every event that the Santa Clara Schools Foundation is involved in we rely on our volunteers with various skills and expertise,” said Vinnakota. “These are also opportunities for our student volunteers to learn by doing all while having the chance to serve our community and serve the district that has given so much to us.”

 

Other News

Board Policy Updates will come back to the next meeting for approval. Board President Vickie Fairchild said she’s received some emails from concerned community members, but said that not everyone can get all the changes they want. Board Member Jodi Muirhead, who was on the Policy Committee, said they are especially proud of the “controversial issues” part of the updates.

Trustee Areas 5 and 7 are keeping their Board Members. Both Dr. Michele Ryan, Trustee Area 5, and Bonnie Lieberman, Trustee Area 7, were running unopposed so no election will be held for these Trustee Areas during the November 2024 election.

 

They adjourned in honor of Phil Volta. The Santa Clara Unified Board meets next for a budget study session on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and then the next regular Board meeting is on Thursday, Oct. 24. Meetings are live-streamed on the District’s YouTube page, and agendas are posted on their website.