What is SAP?
SAP = Student Assistance Program
The core of the student assistance program is a team of school employees who have received specialized training from a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania approved SAP training provider. This team may include teachers, nurses, counselors, and administrators, and is often called the “core team” or the “SAP team.”
The Student Assistance Program is a way to identify high risk teenagers who are having school-related problems because of alcohol and drug use or mental health concerns. It is a method for intervening and referring these students to appropriate community services. It is an intervention, not a treatment, program.
The Student Assistance Program has been in place in Pennsylvania schools since 1982. Through the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Student Assistance Program (SAP) is designed to assist school personnel in identifying issues which pose a barrier to a student's learning and success in school. It is a systematic process using effective, accountable professional techniques to mobilize school resources to remove those barriers to learning and, where the problems are beyond the scope of the school, to assist the student and their parents with information so they may access services in the community.
Participation in the SAP process is voluntary and is offered as a source of help and support for the student and family. Our focus is to see the student succeed. Therefore the process is confidential.