The Maryland Student Assistance Program (MSAP) has existed in MD now for more than 20 years. In 1986, MWPGM C. David Haacke proposed to the MD State Superintentent of Schools that such a program be instituted in MD to assist students whose grades, attendance, or other behaviors indicated a possible involvement with the use of alcohol and other drugs.  There existed such a model in Pennsylvania, where MD sent several educators in 1987 to learn this prgram. 

 

MSAP is a school-based intervention strategy whereby teams of school staff members identify these at-risk students, collect relevant school data to ascertain the existence of a problem, and intervene with the student's parents to raise their awareness of the problem and offer them a free professional assessment for the student to rule out that alcohol and other drugs may be the cause of the student's problems.  Anyone---staff members, fellow students, parents, community members, etc.---may submit a confidential concern form to the MSAP team and all information about the student while in the Student Assistrance process is considered confidential.

 

Since 1987, more than 30,000 Maryland middle school and high school students have been referred to Student Assistance (MSAP) teams for help.  There are  approximately 350 active teams and more than 2500 members in MD. 

 

Each year, the Masonic Charities of Maryland, Inc., fully funds the training for the new members to the MSAP teams, at an annual cost of about $30,000.  Without this partnership between MSAPPA and MCM, Student Assistance in Maryland would not exist. [MSAPPA is the training "arm" throughout MD for most ((95%) Student Assistance programs in school systems]

 

Last year, 217 new members were trained in the Student Assistance process in a 2-day event held at the Grandf Lodge in Cockeysville.