Report: SC substitute teacher accused of offering prom-goers alcohol

A Bluffton High School substitute teacher was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after students reported she offered them alcohol at the Bluffton High School prom.

Tracy Butts, 50, of Bluffton, an ESOL — English speakers other languages — substitute teacher, turned herself in to Bluffton Police after statements from students alleged that they were offered alcohol from Butts during their April 2 prom on Hilton Head Island, according to a Bluffton Police Department news release.

Two students said Butts offered them a drink, and they refused, the release said. Other students said they heard the offer.

Butts admitted having alcohol in her purse and drinking it at the dance but denied offering it to students, the release said. Butts subsequently turned herself in to police.

Beaufort County Detention Center records show she was booked into the facility early Tuesday and released later that day.

“We tell all of our students that if they see something that makes them uncomfortable to say something,” Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster said about the students who reported Butts.

Foster could not say how long Butts had been a substitute teacher for the school but did say there were three law enforcement officers at the prom and 23 school officials.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 12:02 AM with the headline "Report: SC substitute teacher accused of offering prom-goers alcohol."