A public forum aimed to inform parents of challenges that the new generation faces and how to parent it. Named “Parenting the iGeneration” the forum showcased representatives from INOBTR, Chad’s Coalition and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA).

Opening with Cindy Schroeder from INOBTER (I know better), a local non-profit aimed at protecting children and families through public awareness and proactive education. Schroeder spoke about the new technologies that the new generation is in daily contact with and how to parent the new generation.

Following Schroeder, a representative from Chads Coalition, Colleen Chase, trained the parents and teachers with their “SOS Training Trusted Adults” presentation.

And finally, a representative from NCADA spoke about vaping, specifically the harmful effects of the new invention.

Counselor Stephanie Mullins said many parents had been asking for tips about mental health and other assorted issues and a public forum was a way to have representative speak on many broad topics.

“We’ve seen a lot of vaping situations in the building, it has come up a lot of times,” Heather Chamberlain, counselor, said.

The counselors said they did not know a lot about vaping and how to deal with it, so they found that the parents needed to know what they had learned from previous speakers.

The Rockwood school district has had partnerships with all of the non-profits before, and the Lafayette counselor department is planning on having more public forums in the future.