FALCONER — The Falconer Central School District will be hosting a Parent Night on Wednesday from 6-7 p.m.

Parents of students in all area school districts, not just Falconer, are invited to attend. The Chautauqua Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council, in conjunction with Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, will present “Are You Aware? A Scavenger Hunt through a teenager’s life.”

CASAC prevention educators will set up a mock bedroom scene to test parents’ awareness and knowledge on current trends and how teenagers are discreetly hiding their risky behaviors. Furthermore, they will provide strategies and tools to utilize.

The second half of the presentation will be presented by Roswell Park Cancer Institute, providing awareness about vaping and Juuling. Vaping has grown in popularity and has become a concern specifically among high school students.

“Vaping has become such a popular trend and has increased in use among our youth,” said Laurie Reynolds, CASAC associate director. “It’s important for our community to know the negative effects of vaping and for adults/parents to be aware of those dangers.”

Vaping devices vary in size and appearance, which students can easily conceal. Anna Maria Masucci Twarozek from Roswell will discuss the health risks of using and how teenagers are hiding their unhealthy habits.

In addition, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will be sharing information and resources on cell phone safety. The widespread use of smartphones helps users stay connected, but also raises concerns. In recent years, cellphones have made a massive jump from handheld calling devices to essentially pocket computers and gaming systems, giving children access to anything and everything. Likewise, giving strangers access to your children.

The goal of this evening is to educate families and community members on risky behaviors among adolescents.

“We would like to extend the invitation to neighboring school districts and communities,” said Jeff Jordan, Falconer High School principal.

Any parent is welcome to attend, but we would like to remind parents that it is an adult event as it is not appropriate for teens/youth to attend the actual educational presentations.

“This is a great event to attend so that parents and other adults in the community can identify when their child is using a substance and what to look out for,” Reynolds said. “It is not to say by any means that every teen is hiding something, it is just a nice awareness presentation to bring light to the subject of what to look out for.”

Resources will be provided for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery. In addition, childcare and refreshments will be provided. Tara Swan, Falconer High School Guidance Counselor has been working a lot with Reynolds.

“We are hoping for a great turnout,” Swan said. “Children are exposed to so much these days, and as adults we need to be aware so we can keep them safe.”