[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 15 (Monday, April 16, 2001)]
[Pages 596-597]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7425--National D.A.R.E. Day, 2001

April 10, 2001

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Today, we recognize Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), the 
largest and most widely known substance abuse prevention and anti-
violence curriculum in America. For over 18 years, D.A.R.E. has brought 
specially trained community police officers into America's classrooms to 
teach children how to resist destructive peer pressure and to live 
productive drug- and violence-free lives. Every day, millions of 
children across the United States participate in the instruction given 
in the D.A.R.E. drug prevention curriculum.
    Parents, teachers, community leaders, law enforcement officials, and 
fellow students have an important role to play in keeping our children 
away from illegal drugs. Research has shown that ongoing reinforcement 
of drug prevention skills at home and at school play a critical role in 
decreasing the likelihood of drug use by our youth. This year, D.A.R.E. 
has pledged to reach out to thousands of parents with a new parent-
specific curriculum to help them talk with their kids about drugs.
    Today, we recognize D.A.R.E. as a useful partnership between the 
research community, educators, law enforcement, parents, and students, 
and we commend D.A.R.E. officers for their dedicated efforts to help 
educate the children of America about the importance of remaining drug- 
and violence-free.
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 12, 2001, as 
National D.A.R.E. Day. I call upon our youth, parents, educators, and 
all people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate 
activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of 
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence 
of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:59 a.m., April 11, 
2001]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
12.

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