Randolph-Henry High School (R-HHS) is throwing an after-prom party for students who choose to attend prom April 22.
Charlotte County Public Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Nancy Leonard said the after-prom event is designed to give students a safe alternative over parties that occur off of school grounds — which could involve alcohol.
“The after-prom party occurs at the same site as the prom which helps to keep students from driving to various parties, which we hope increases the safety of students,” Leonard said.
She added many parents and businesses offer monetary and prize donations for the event, where students have the opportunity to dance to music provided by a deejay.

The after-prom party, which is sponsored by R-HHS, is supervised by school staff and begins immediately after prom and until 2 a.m.
According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year. In a 2015 CDC Youth Risk Behavior survey, during the month prior to the survey, 33 percent of high students polled said they’d drank some amount of alcohol, 18 percent binge drank, 8 percent drove after drinking and 20 percent rode with a driver who had been drinking.

The CDC cites ways to reduce underage drinking, including community-based efforts to monitor activities of the youth, much like the school’s after prom.