School program helps students overcome barriers
October 12, 2017
When a dead body was discovered in the woods near the Saxon Golf Course last August, the community was abuzz with fear, rumors, and speculation. Some said it was a murder and some said it was an overdose. Once the rumors settled and the truth came out. The SB community learned that this body was that of a former Knoch High student. Corey Kleinfelder , who graduated around 2007 , he had died of a drug overdose.
About 150,000 accidental drug overdoses occur around ages 13-24 according to teendrugaddiction.com.
I am sure everyone is aware of the push for ending drug use at Knoch High School. The drug tests for sports, clubs, and parking passes have been a hot topic since students failed and now with the “random” tests going around. People my joke around about the tests yet as example from Kleinfelder, drug use is a serious problem in this community and can lead to major consequences.
“Every staff member at Knoch High School just wants what’s best for the students.” explains Ms. Stein, Career Counselor.
In fact, there is a program through the school called SAP (Student Assistance Program). It targets kids who seem to show symptoms of depression, abuse of drugs, and/or family issues. Parents, teachers, students, or yourself can turn you into get help from SAP.
To be apart of the program, you would need to have a referral. Ms. Stein is the one who gets a referral. The process is allowed to proceed once a parent allows it, but sometimes they say no. Once the Ms. Stein gets a ‘yes’ she can continue on with the process. They collect data, look into your year and check out your patterns. To see if it’s just a bad day or something is seriously wrong.
“You get what you give. It’s important to have a good relationship with the student,” said Ms. Stein.
There is a group of people that meet up with a student who is in SAP. They meet either once a week to once in a blue moon, depends on the situation and how long the process is. For academic reasons you meet more often. They have about three to four new students each year. This program applies High School and Middle School students.
SAP has an on-call drug screening worker, who comes at anytime.
“I want you to consider the long-term risk of taking drugs, using substances can change your brain growth. It also changes your relationships with family and friends. Not to mention it can destroy your chances at sports,” says Ms. Stein.
So whether you are stuck in a dark spot or addicted to drugs, remember that people DO CARE and there IS help for you!
One last thing of advice Ms. Stein wanted to share was, “Always find a trustworthy person and tell them what you are going through. No one needs to go through this alone.”
