• Identify Core Team Members-Each campus identifies and selects a multi-disciplinary team (about seven members) consisting of:
• An Administrator: Preferably one involved with discipline management.
• Guidance Counselor(s): Involvement by the counseling department is essential when making decisions and meeting with parents.
• School Nurse:. Having the nurse participate gives the team insight regarding medications and illnesses, and how these may affect a student at school.
• Special Education Teacher: Core Teams often serve as the initial referral (single point of contact) for students who may need special education services. Having the expertise from that department is essential.
• Classroom Teachers: These teachers will serve as liaisons to the rest of the staff and provide a level of expertise regarding the classroom.
• Coach/Activity Sponsor: This expands the scope of the SAP to include students who are involved in extra-curricular activities, and promotes a "buy-in" from other staff.
• School Psychologist/Social Worker: A school psychologist or social worker serves as a link for connecting students and families with resources.

What will the Core Team training accomplish?

• Core Team Training - Once a Core Team is assembled, a two-day Core Team training is scheduled. The Texas SAP Initiative provides the Core Team training, written materials and resources, along with technical assistance and follow up. This training is designed to assist the participants in:
• Understanding what the SAP is and how it works on campus.
• Examining the issues that contribute to student distress and techniques designed to promote resiliency on campus.
• Developing strategies and processes that enable schools to identify, screen, and intervene with students who need help.
• Establishing a referral method for students needing campus-based and/or community-based services, such as support groups, mentoring, mediation, etc.
• Determining how to evaluate the SAP process and impact on students and the campus.

What happens after the team has been trained?

Once trained, the Core Team meets regularly to receive referrals from teachers and other staff. In addition, the team will be responsive to parent, peer, and self-referrals. The goal of the team is to process the referral in such a way as to quickly and efficiently determine if a problem exists and then recommend a plan. This plan may include services on campus such as a support group or the guidance counselor, or may require off campus services, beginning with a community-based assessment interview. It is important to note that the team does not provide any diagnostic services. The extent of the team’s involvement is to determine if some sort of problem exists, make a plan of action, implement the plan, and then let the existing services proceed. At all times the Core Team’s plan for the student is based on objective data and geared toward academic success and resiliency building.

During the training, the team determines what campus-based student support resources are available to the identified student. These resources may include guidance counseling, support groups, schedule change, mentor programs, student mediator programs, alternative learning centers, behavior contracts, or special education. The level of student services varies on each campus and the team will work with existing services as well as develop additional ones.

The nature of the SAP is such that the school avoids diagnosing and consequently refrains from referring students directly to treatment. Routinely, it may be that some students need services beyond the school’s abilities. In order to accurately connect students to those services, an assessment may be requested. In most communities, there are agencies, hospitals, private practitioners, or clinics that are willing to provide assessment interviews at no charge. These assessments may be done on campus or in the community, depending on the students’ and school’s needs. It is during this component of the SAP process that students and parents receive information about what services are available in the community. The assessing professional is the one to make treatment-related recommendations. These may include outpatient or inpatient treatment for chemical dependency, family therapy, psychiatric treatment or other services. Individuals interested in providing assessments need to understand the context of their role in the SAP.

The Core Team may refer a student and/or parent to a community-based support service other than an assessment. This could include a local support group, a food pantry, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, youth sports, etc.

The SAP has been referred to as "the rising tide that lifts all boats". The comprehensive approach of the process not only focuses on students in at-risk situations but on all students, promoting resiliency throughout the campus. Schools have indicated an increase in attendance, grades, and student/teacher morale. Administrators have also seen a decrease in discipline referrals, drug/alcohol-related incidents, vandalism, truancy, tardiness, and drop outs. Classroom teachers have indicated that they are able to spend more time teaching, rather than addressing behavior. Guidance counselors and disciplinarians indicate that having the SAP on campus is like having a team of people assisting with efforts. Instead of one individual responsible for solutions, a team shares the responsibilities and successes.

In the most global sense, the SAP is a collaboration of the school, community, family, and peer group to assist those youth that need help. By no means is it the entire responsibility of the school, yet there is no doubt that the school often leads in the effort. Ultimately, the benefits of the SAP reach the community, family, and peer group.

1. Can a school send less than a full team to training? We ask that the full team attend the training, not just to receive the information, but also so that it can begin the process of implementing the SAP. Some schools send one representative to a training to see what the process is all about before making the commitment.
2. Is there a charge for the training and materials? No! The only cost that might be incurred is the cost of substitutes for those classroom teachers attending the training.
3. How long is the initial Core Team training? The training is two days and is conducted at a site convenient to your team.
4. Once the initial training is completed, can the team start the SAP? Yes! The team will know exactly what to do and how to do it upon completing the training.
5. Is the SAP effective for elementary, as well as secondary students? Yes! The SAP is ideal for all levels and is geared for the school it is in.

Workers Assistance Program, Inc., is available to assist Texas schools, districts, and ESC Regions with the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Student Assistance Program.