FCRES
Student Assistance (SAP)
The SAP team operates during school days only.
In case of an emergency, please contact 911 or your county crisis line.
Stay safe and stay healthy.
Lackawanna: 570-348-6100 dial 1 Susquehanna: 570-278-6822 Wayne: 1-833-557-3224
Do You See Your Child Showing Any of These Behaviors?
Withdrawing from family, friends, and/or activities
Changing friends
Unexplained physical injuries
Feeling sad
Talking about suicide
Defying authority, both at home and school
Acting aggressively
Hitting
Lying
Needing money without a good explanation
Declining grades
Experimenting with alcohol or drugs
Back-talking staff
Are You Concerned about Your Child’s Reaction to...?
Recent death of a loved one
Divorce of parents
Family relocation
A relationship problem
Bullying
Other traumatic event
The core of the Student Assistance Program is a professionally trained team, including school staff and liaisons from community drug and alcohol and mental health agencies. SAP team members are trained to identify issues and to make recommendations/referrals to assist the student and the parent. When the issue lies beyond the scope of the school, the SAP team will assist the parent and student so they may access services within the community. SAP team members do not diagnose or provide treatment; but they do refer students to liaisons who may screen or assess for further community based services and support.
Meet Our SAP Team
Mr. Michael Zack, Principal
Mrs. Larissa Valonis, SAP Coordinator/Elementary School Counselor
Mrs. Kelsey Bryer, Middle School Counselor
Mrs. Cathi Fedak, Related Arts Teacher
Mrs. Christine Michaels, Kindergarten Teacher
Miss Sarah Redick, 3rd Grade Teacher
Mr. Fred Bresser, School Social Worker, Friendship House
Miss Nicole Fata, CSBBH MT, Friendship House
Ms. Elizabeth Delaney, Prevention Specialist & SAP Liaison, Trehab
Mrs. Nicole Stevens, Behavioral Health (Lackawanna/Susquehanna) SAP Liaison, Friendship House
Ms. Jennifer Kiesendahl, Behavioral Health (Wayne) SAP Liaison, Wayne County Office of Behavioral & Developmental Programs and Early Intervention
The SAP team information is completely confidential
and our team will respect you and your child's privacy at all times.
What is SAP?
In Pennsylvania, the Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a systematic team process used to mobilize school resources to remove barriers to learning. SAP is designed to assist in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student’s success. The primary goal of the Student Assistance Program is to help students overcome these barriers so that they may achieve, advance, and remain in school.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance Services is to provide leadership for developing a safe and drug-free environment and mental health wellness in schools and communities across the commonwealth. Barriers to learning will be removed and student academic achievement will be enhanced through collaborative prevention, intervention, and postvention services.
4 Phases of the SAP Process
Referral - Anyone can refer a student to SAP when they are concerned about someone’s behavior -- any school staff, a student’s friend, a family member or community member. The students themselves can even go directly to the SAP team to ask for help. The SAP team contacts the parent for permission to proceed with the SAP process.
Team Planning – The SAP team gathers objective information about the student’s performance in school from all school personnel who have contact with the student. Information is also collected from the parent. The team communicates with the parent to discuss the data collected and also meets with the student. Together, a plan is developed that includes strategies for removing the learning barriers and promoting the student’s academic and personal success to include in-school and/or community-based services and activities.
Intervention and Recommendations – The plan is put into action. The team assists in linking the student to in-school and/or community-based services and activities. The team might recommend a drug and alcohol or mental health screening or assessment.
Support and Follow-Up – The SAP team continues to work with and support the student and their family. Follow-up includes monitoring, mentoring, and motivating for academic success.
It is the parent’s right to be involved in the process and to have full access to all school records under the applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Involvement of parents in all phases of the Student Assistance Program underscores the parents’ role and responsibility in the decision–making process affecting their child’s education and is key to the successful resolution of barriers. For students receiving treatment through a community agency, the student assistance team, in collaboration with parents and the agency, can assist in helping plan in-school support services during and after treatment. The team’s effectiveness in helping the student and the parent remove the barriers to learning and improve student performance depends on the training of the individual team members, maintenance of the student assistance team and process, level of administrative commitment and board support, active parent and student involvement and the available resources both in school and the community.