By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Parents in Alabaster and North Shelby will have a chance to catch up on recent trends ranging from drug and alcohol use to phone apps during a pair of upcoming parent summits in March.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, the Shelby County Drug Free Coalition will partner with Alabaster City Schools, the Thompson High School and Middle School PTOs, the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Drug Education Council and SAM-Alabama to host a parent summit at Thompson High School.

During the free March 15 event, which is set to run until 8 p.m. in the THS auditorium, parents will have a chance to participate in several break-out sessions covering a variety of topics.

During the event, parents will be able to attend any three of the following break-out sessions: Marijuana, college admissions process, smartphone and social media apps, underage drinking, workforce development and current drug trends.

Informational tables will be set up from 6-8 p.m. in the THS auditorium lobby.

On March 24, the Drug Free Coalition will partner with the Shelby County School System, Oak Mountain High School, the Drug Enforcement Task Force, Drug Education Council and SAM-Alabama to host a parenting summit on substance abuse at Oak Mountain High School.

The free OMHS event will begin at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium, and will feature a welcome from Shelby County Schools Superintendent Randy Fuller, a talk from Drug Task Force Commander Clay Hammac on local drug trends and a talk on marijuana and its effects by Dr. Shannon Murphy.

Drug Free Coalition Coordinator Jan Corbett said both events are not limited to only parents of high school students.

“It’s for all parents, not just high school parents,” Corbett said. “We just want to update them on the trends we’re seeing.”