The Student Support Team is a school-based problem solving team that meets regularly to discuss concerns about individual students or groups of students. 

The SST provides students with identified needs the support that they require for academic progress (either in the short term, or for long term supports). The Student Support Team is a combined effort between Academic Interventionists, School Based Therapists, Counselors, Assistant Principals, Nurses, General Education Teachers, and the Section 504 Program, for those students who qualify. The goal of the Student Support Team is to enable students to acquire academic and social competencies, meet state standards, and become independent learners for life. The SST works with all students, those with and without a disability. 

A student can be brought to the SST for support with either an academic, medical need, or social emotional need. 

Academic Request for Assistance: In an effort to meet the needs of struggling students as early as possible an early intervention process referred to as Response to Intervention (RTI) is used. The request for assistance based on academic concerns usually begins through the RTI process. Data from these efforts is shared with the parents and will become part of any Section 504 Evaluation that may occur, if needed. These efforts are available to all students (not just students seeking a Section 504 evaluation), including those with disabilities. Should general education along with intervention efforts be insufficient to meet the disability-related needs of the student, the school would seek parental consent for an evaluation under Section 504. 

Request for Assistance with a Diagnosis (Medical): Most medical requests for assistance to the SST are made by parents, school nurses and outside physicians. Often, doctors provide parents with recommendations for a Section 504 plan along with a list of accommodations. Decisions on eligibility and appropriate accommodations are made by the SST and/or Section 504 committee. Health information will be an essential part of the data considered by the committee, but a medical diagnosis of a disability does not guarantee classroom or testing accommodations for a student. Similarly, non specific diagnoses, such as individuals' “learning styles”, “learning differences”, academic problems”, “attention problems", and “test difficulty/anxiety” in and of themselves do not constitute a disability under the law. Medical impairments, even with identical diagnoses, can vary greatly from student to student, and therefore any information that a physician can provide that is specific to the individual student, other than the diagnosis itself, will be most helpful in decision making. A physician's diagnosis and recommendations alone do not determine Section 504 eligibility. Students may also qualify for short-term supports due to medical issues (broken bones, recent surgery, etc).  In these cases, once the medical issues are resolved, the supports are discontinued.

Transfer Students: When a student with a Section 504 plan transfers to Westlake High School from another school district, the SST will work to transfer the Section 504 plan to Westlake.  The SST will initiate a re-evaluation to review the plan and supporting documentation and will revise the plan as necessary to meet the student’s needs.

A student can be brought to the SST by a campus staff member or a parent/guardian.  (SST Request for Assistance Link)

For information on the types of academic supports the SST offers click here.

The SST is housed in the Academic Resource Center (NGC 120). 

Meet the SST Staff