Student Assistance Program (START)

Because the South Middleton School District employees are committed to maximum learning experiences, we recognize that students cannot reach their full potential if they are troubled with personal problems. In response to dealing with student problems in our schools, we have developed a Student Assistance Program called START. There will be one START team assigned to the middle school and another START team assigned to the high school. 


START is an acronym which stands for Support Team (for) At Risk Teens. 


A Student Assistance Program is a systematic process used by school personnel to identify high risk students who are having problems and to intervene when appropriate. These problems may include any area that affects a student’s development and learning.


START is an intervention, not a treatment program. The heart of the program is the Student Assistance Core Team comprised of school personnel specially trained to work with these students.