Thorpe Assistance Program (TAP)
What is the Thorpe Assistance Program (TAP)?
TAP
is the title given to the Student Assistance Program at Jim Thorpe.
The Program is designed to identify barriers that may be affecting a
student’s academics, attendance, behavior or health.
The goal of
the Student Assistance Program is to provide early intervention and
support services to children identified as having difficulties
achieving success in school.
Who coordinates the SAP Program?
The Student Assistance Team is comprised of a core team of professionally trained student assistance members which include:
- Counselors
- Teachers
- Nurses
- Administrators
- Community Agency Liaisons
The team does not diagnose, treat or refer for treatment; however, they may refer assessments for a specific treatment.
How is a student referred to the SAP team?
Referrals
to the Student Assistance Team, which are confidential, may be made by
the school staff, a parent or guardian, peers, a community member or by
the student himself. A referral is made by contacting the guidance
department, administrator, or any member of the team.
What process is followed after a referral is made?
After
evaluating the referral, a team member collects pertinent data,
determines whether further action is warranted, contacts the parent or
guardian, and interviews the student. Based on the information gathered
from this process, the team may suggest that the student be assessed, at
no cost, by a Drug and Alcohol counselor or by a Mental Health
counselor. The team continues to monitor the student, provide support
for the student and evaluate the recommendations that are made.
What are student behaviors that are appropriate for SAP?
- Academic decline
- Disciplinary problem
- Sleeping in class
- Frequent visits to the nurse’s office
- Decreased attention span
- Observable expressions of anger or sadness
- Excessive talking in class, laughing inappropriately
- Poor anger management skills
- Disrespectful to faculty or staff members
- Overheard conversations about alcohol or other drugs
- Smell of alcohol or marijuana
- Observing a significant weight loss/gain
- Observing frequent trips to the rest room
- Observing a distinct behavior change
- Observing a change of friends
- Overheard a conversation (firsthand) about feeling sad or depressed
- Observing drug-related, satanic-related or death related language or drawings
- Loss of interest in academic and extracurricular activities
Parental Rights
Parents
have the right to be involved in the process and have full access to
all school records pertaining to their child, under applicable state and
federal laws and regulations.
Parental involvement, in all aspects
of Student Assistance Program is encouraged. This involvement is key to
a successful resolution and underscores the importance of parent’s
responsibility. It is important to note that all core team referrals and
information is kept confidential from outside sources.
Agency & Resource Lists
The following is a list of contact numbers for some of the support agencies that our school district recognizes:
Carbon County Children & Youth
(570) 325-3644
Child Abuse Hot line
(800) 932-0313
Crisis Intervention
(610) 377-0773
Mental Health/Mental Retardation
(610) 377-0773
Carbon, Monroe & Pike Drug & Alcohol
(610) 377-5177
RedCo Group
(610) 377-8525
Victims Resource Center
(570) 325-9641
To
learn more about the Student Assistance Program at the Jim Thorpe Area
School District or for a list of counselors who provide short and
long-term counseling , contact the Guidance Office