S.A.P.
Student Assistance Program

Serving Bradford and Sullivan Counties Of Pennsylvania

How does the S.A.P. referral system work?
When an individual's observable behavior interferes or becomes a barrier to learning, a referral to S.A.P.can be made. A referral can come from any source such as family members, teachers peers, and/or even a school school bus driver. Each school has an "S.A.P. Team" which consists of parents, administrators, teachers, nurses, drug and alcohol counselors/consultants, and mental health counselors/consultants. The "team" will review each of referral and determine the best course of action. From this decision, a student can be referred for a drug and alcohol or mental health evaluation, a tutor, and/or a mentor.

What are the responsibilities of the S.A.P. program?
The responsibilities of the S.A.P. include, but are not limited to,providing a linkage to community resources such as county offices, private agencies, or municipal programs. The S.A.P. helps parents and students access those community resources, which enable parents to make the best decision possible for their children. The S.A.P. assists in providing needed links for aftercare resources. Furthermore, if there is a crisis such as a death of a student or teacher, all S.A.P. counselors/consultants will act as a mobile crisis unit in the schools to help assist in those specific situations.

What are the laws that effect the S.A.P., the community, and families?
Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
This law gives parents the right to inspect all S.A.P. records maintained by the school upon request, including behavior checklists or any other information contained in the S.A.P. records. This law also limits access of school records only to those in school Who have "legitimate education interests."

Protection of Pupil Rights Act(PPRA)
This law prohibits students from being required to submit to a survey, analysis,or evaluation which would reveal, among other provisions, private information including mental or psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or his/her family; and illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demanding behavior without prior consent.

It is important to remember that schools and agencies operate under fundamentally different statutes. While parents have full access to their child's records under school law, minors have much more control over their records under agency laws as dictated by the Department of Public Health. If a parent signs a consent form for treatment so they at their child can have an evaluation by a mental health or dug & alcohol counselor/consultant, the results may not be able to be disclosed even at the request of the parent. Any child, at any age, can request that all information disclosed in the evaluation process to the D & A counselor/consultant remain confidential. Any child having a mental health evaluation can refuse information given about that evaluation to his/her parents at the age of 14 or older. It is Northern Their Counseling philosophy to strongly encourage students to sign a release form for their parents. We feel that it is important to involve the parent(s) who are in the assessment/counseling process.

S.A.P. and Its Confidentiality Policies and Procedures
Confidentiality attempts to preserve a condition of privacy and to promote an atmosphere of trust. All S.A.P. records are kept confidential and are protected by State/Federal laws as mentioned above. Furthermore, a consultant form to release information and/or receive information must first be pre-approved by a student and/or his her parent(s) consent. When any documentation is sent to County and/or State agencies, a student's name is never used. We at Northern Their Counseling (NTC) will send documentation with a student's agency number only (which is randomly assigned to each and every client with NTC). This ensures that your child's personal records will never be tracked by any County or State agency.

S.A.P. Goal
The goal of the Student Assistance Program is to help parents, as well as the community, to become aware of the tasks, challenges, and risks of adolescence, including those issues that pose a "barrier to educational success."

For further information about S.A.P., please contact the Community Services Program Director at:
Northern Tier Counseling
RR1 Box 137
Towanda PA 18848

www.northerntiercounseling.com

Telephone: (570) 265-0100
Toll free: (888) 322-1682
Fax: (570) 265-6741

Northern tier counseling is fully licensed facility through the Department of Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. NTC is governed by a board of directors composed of members of the communities served.

Services provided by
Northern Their counseling in conjunction with the school districts of Bradford & Sullivan County.