By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Parents will have a chance to learn more about tobacco and drug trends among teens during an upcoming Parent University program at Thompson High School.

The Parent University will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, in the Performing Arts Center at Thompson High School, which is at 1921 Warrior Parkway.

During the event, which is free and open to all adults, a panel of students will present a youth perspective on trends such as stress management, drug trends and other issues facing youth in our communities.

Following the youth panel, Abigail Duemler, the youth tobacco prevention coordinator with UAB, will present “Tobacco in the 21^st Century: E-cigarettes, vape and JUUL.” Area vendors will also be on-site to provide resources to the parents who attend.

The THS Parent University is a partnership between Alabaster City Schools, the Alabaster Police Department, Bradford Health Services, the city of Alabaster, Compact 2020 and For Tomorrow.

This will mark the second year THS has hosted Compact 2020’s Parent University, which drew a sizeable crowd to the former THS auditorium last year.

During the 2018 event, a pair of local parents who lost their children to drug overdoses and distracted driving crashes shared heartbreaking stories highlighting the dangers facing children today.