BLUFFTON, South Carolina — A former private school Montessori teacher who also spent eight years working as a public school substitute teacher has been arrested for unlawful communication with a child, authorities announced.
Kalen Faye Wolfe, a 47-year-old resident of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, was charged on Friday with criminal solicitation of a minor and procuring or promoting obscenity. Both of the charges filed against her are felonies under state law, according to law enforcement arrest records.
Wolfe previously worked as an art teacher at May River Montessori, located in Old Town Bluffton, for several years. Catherine Donaldson, the chair of the school’s board of trustees, confirmed that Wolfe’s employment contract concluded on July 31, 2025, and stated there has been no subsequent communication between Wolfe and the institution.
Beaufort County School District spokesperson Candace Bruder confirmed that Wolfe also served as a part-time substitute teacher within the public school system from 2008 to 2016. Furthermore, Paul Horgan, the Head of School for Hilton Head Preparatory School, stated that Wolfe was employed at Sea Pines Montessori Academy prior to its 2025 merger with his institution, noting that her contract there was not renewed after July 2021.
The criminal investigation began nearly two months ago when a witness contacted law enforcement to report the alleged activity on March 27, according to Staff Sergeant Robert Herlong, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Arrest warrants were officially issued on Thursday, and Wolfe surrendered herself to authorities the following day.
Staff Sergeant Herlong declined to provide specific details regarding the exact nature of the allegations, the date the alleged offenses took place, or the precise age of the minor. He noted that detectives are actively working to determine if the alleged actions are tied to her position as an educator or if any former students were impacted. While law enforcement has identified only one victim at this stage of the investigation, authorities are publicly requesting anyone with additional information to come forward.
Under South Carolina law, a charge of criminal solicitation of a minor involves an adult attempting to persuade or coerce a child to engage in sexual activity or a violent crime, carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The second charge, procuring or promoting obscenity, involves the dissemination of obscene materials that lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
An archived professional biography from May River Montessori indicated that Wolfe was raised in New England, attended the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, and possessed professional experience as a camp director in both South Carolina and New Hampshire. The South Carolina Department of Education did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding whether Wolfe’s educator certification would face suspension.
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