The University of Iowa Partnership for Alcohol Safety will hold a public parent forum on preventing dangerous drinking April 19.

Starting at 7 p.m., parents of students from grade school to college will discuss what influence parents have on their children’s drinking habits.

The forum, which will be held at West High, 2901 Melrose Ave., will be based largely on interactive discussion, said Victoria Sharp, the special assistant to the provost for alcohol safety.

Attendees will be able to ask questions, respond to statistics, and discuss ideas.

Parents with children of all ages are welcome, Sharp said, because there are topics to address at every stage. Young children look up to parents as models, and research appears to demonstrate that parents still have a large effect on their college students’ decisions, Sharp said.

“The goal is so that parents can have an opportunity to continue to improve their interactions with their children related to this issues and know how important they are,” she said.

— by Emily Busse