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Lake Zurich High School >
Student Assistance Program
> Forward Forward For most students, most of the time, the high school years are a time of personal and intellectual growth. However, for a sizable number of students, the road to adulthood is punctuated by profound crisis. Research studies tell us that significant numbers of teenagers-15%-20%- are using drugs frequently and in combination, resulting in demonstrable personal and social harm. Additional studies state that there are an 5% of adolescents who are chemically dependent. If one factors in children who are affected by parental drug or alcohol abuse, it is possible that upwards of 30% of all students in a k-12 school district are affected by alcohol or drug abuse in a serious and lifelong way.* Many other students are faced with other problems which affect personal functioning and school performance. These problems can include: coping with separation and divorce, teenage sexuality, pregnancy, self-image, depression and suicide, abuse grief and loss, eating disorders and general life transitions. Student Assistance Programs (SAP) are school-based interventions and programs, which provide students information and support for their problems. The major goal of the program is to define processes for faculty and students to deal with crises through the areas of preventions, intervention, and support, in order to achieve academic success and personal stability. The model used for the Lake Zurich High School Student Assistance Program is based on Gary Anderson's book, When Chemicals Come to School, The Core Team Model of Student Assistance Program, Revised Edition 1993, Community Recovery Press. The Core Team Model relies on the identification and training of key school staff within the high school. Each of these key staff persons plays an important function in managing students who have AODA-related (Alcohol of Other Drug Addiction) of other problems. During the course of a typical school day, we each come in contact
with students who are struggling with a change in their life. It is not
uncommon to ask oneself, "What can I do to help?" and feel frustrated or
overwhelmed by the complexity of a particular student's situation. It is
hoped that the following information about the Student Assistance Program
at Lake Zurich High School will give each of us the tools to help bring
about a change in a positive direction for the students with whom we work. Page Sponsor: Eric Hamilton & Laurie Michaels Webmaster: Rishi Bhatia |