Sexting, social media and cyberbullying seminar Wednesday at North Putnam

Police Sgt. Jennifer Pyatt Barrett will conduct a workshop at the North Putnam High School auditorium to discuss topics ranging from child exploitation, soliciting and pornography, social networking sites, sexting and cyberbulling on Wednesday.

Barrett will conduct a program from 6-7 p.m. followed by an hour-long question an answer session with the parents in attendence.

The program aims to help parents protect their children from incidents that occur when the kids are home, which often become inflated the next day.

"We can really only enforce what happens at school," assistant principal Jason Chew said. "We just need to get information to the parents because I don't think they really know what they're kids are doing online, or how to get that information."

Barrett has specialized in the investigation of crimes against women and children since 2002. The last six years, her primary responsibility has focused on investigating child pornography, child exploitation and child solicitation cases.

She has given numerous lectures concerning social networking, sexting and internet pornography to social worker, criminal justice professionals, educators and students, organizations, parents, teens and children.

Chew said these issues have been a growing problem, with advancing technology only making controlling them more difficult to police.

"We're not really trying to change a policy, we're trying to change a mindset," Chew said. "It's not just on TV. It happens. It happens in rural Indiana."

He said the school has tried in the past to help educate parents on these topics, but this is the most "in your face" effort.

The audience must be 18 years old to attend, as sensitive material and graphic imagery will be presented.

Barrett has been to the investigations divisions for the Brownsburg Police Department since 2006.