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	Welcome Welcome to the Upper Moreland High School Student Assistance Referral Team (START) webpage.  The START team is an association composed of administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, psychologists, and social workers.  As a team we work to provide resource for students at risk.  It is our responsibility to identify, intervene, refer, and follow through with students demonstrating at risk behaviors in the areas of academics, attendance, health, and performance. We offer a START program at school which consists of weekly support groups for students at risk or for those looking for a place to talk about issues of concern.  All students are welcome to participate and can contact any START member for information. Some students may not feel comfortable receiving help from school faculty.  In these cases, you may want to turn to outside sources for assistance.  Click HERE for a list of local services.

Philosophy Statement

A Student Assistance Program is a school based comprehensive prevention and intervention program for students in 9th through grade 12 characterized by a team approach.  This professional, systematic process is designed to provide education, prevention, early identification, intervention, referral and support services for students exhibiting risk behaviors which are interfering with their education.  The positive influence of Student Assistance Programs encourages student success in the school environment, fosters risk reduction and positive asset development, provides a safe environment and promotes opportunities for knowledge, skill, and attitude development.  Key components are developmental curriculum and education, policy, staff and community in-service and education, early identification, development or support processes, use of community resource, and ongoing evaluation of program effectiveness.

Mission Statement

The Student Assistance Program utilizes a multidisciplinary team and intervention system to remove the educational and behavioral barriers which interfere with student learning, and works to enhance the developmental assets of students.  This goal is accomplished by providing strategies and support to the school community and parents to improve their ability to help students succeed in school.  The team also marshals other school and community resources as necessary for an effective intervention.  These sometimes include referrals for a mental health or substance abuse assessment.

	Did You Know... A 2001 survey of 15,000 teenagers across the country found that more than one in three students feel unsafe in school; 43% of high school and 37% of middle school boys believe it is permissible to hit or threaten somebody who has made them angry; 75% of boys and 60% of girls had hit someone during the last 12 months because they were angry; 21% of high school boys as well as 15% of middle school boys had a weapon with them at school at least once during the past school year; and 60% of high school boys and 31% of middle school boys stated that they could get a gun if they desired to.

	Something More Young people continue to communicate their need for help in understanding their feelings of confusion, loss, alienation, loneliness, depression, anger, sadness, and guilt.  Their ability to develop coping strategies for their uncomfortable but normal feelings and their ability to adjust to loss and maintain control over everyday life experiences, will ultimately be dependent on the assistance they obtain and the resources provided to them by the school-as-community.  Counselors, administrators and other support personnel can provide the curative environment that fosters prevention and intervention with at-risk students.  Collective efforts to provide structured programs and secure environments to "work through" significant problems are necessary to arrest the present cycle of self-destructive behavior of contemporary youth.

Hosted by the Upper Moreland School District / Designed By Michael Mankus