What is the Student Assistance Program?

The Student Assistance Program is a school based substance use and violence intervention program under the auspices of the Montgomery County Public Schools Safe and Drug-Free Schools Project. Student Assistance is focused on prevention through intervention and is not aimed at collecting evidence for criminal prosecution. Trained Student Assistance teams are in all Montgomery County, Maryland secondary schools.

What is the Student Assistance Program's goal?

The goal of the Student Assistance Program is to identify adolescents whose behavior, attendance, or grades indicate that they may have problems related to alcohol and/or other drug use or other emotional problems that may lead to violence. Through the different steps that comprise the Student Assistance  process, these at-risk adolescents are referred for a free professional assessment and directed to the appropriate services.

How does the Student Assistance Program work?

Any individual (school staff member, student, parent, or community member) can tell the Student Assistance team about his/her concern for a student.   Any information concerning who made the original referral is strictly confidential.   Students may refer themselves. A "concern form" is submitted to the Student Assistance team leader of the attending school and a data collection process begins.

All concerns are confidential and no data is entered in a permanent record.   Information is reviewed to determine any possible indicators, such as a drop in grades, increased absences, frequent visits to the nurse or behavior problems.   If there is insufficient data to indicate a problem, the matter is dropped and all information is destroyed.    If, however, the data collected indicates the need for further assessment, the information is then shared with the student's parents who are encouraged to participate in the intervention process.   

Who is on the Student Assistance team?

The Student Assistance team may be comprised of administrators, teachers, counselors, security personnel, instructional assistants, building service workers, office personnel, cafeteria workers, the school psychologist, school nurse, attendance secretary, pupil personnel worker (PPW), and any other staff member who may be in contact with students.