Photos that appear to show students giving teachers and the principal – who is also the mayor of their town – lap dances during a homecoming week ‘man pageant’ have shocked a Kentucky town.
The photos caught national attention when a Twitter user shared them from Hazard High School’s own Facebook page, which has since taken the pictures down.
The photos appear to include cheerleaders dressed in Hooters waitress uniforms and carrying what appeared to look like alcohol, as well that purports to show a male student giving school principal Donald ‘Happy’ Mobelini – also the mayor of Hazard – a lap dance. There were allegedly also ‘paddlings’ given out.
DailyMail.com has reached out to both the mayor and his assistant for comment.
Superintendent of Schools Susan Combs has launched an investigation.
‘The incident is under investigation and as you know any thing under investigation I really can’t talk about,’ Combs told the Louisville Courier Journal. ‘Once the investigation is complete, appropriate action will be taken.’
The school Facebook page promoted the event as part of homecoming week.
Photos show what appear to be a student giving someone a lap dance at a homecoming week event that included a ‘Man Pageant’
The event also featured cheerleaders wearing Hooters waitress outfits and carrying what appeared to look like alcohol
Hazard mayor and principal of Hazard High School Donald ‘Happy’ Mobelini reportedly also received a lap dance
There were allegedly also ‘paddlings’ given out
The day also included the traditional Powderpuff football game, Spirit Day and Twin Day. But much of the commotion stemmed from the ‘Man Pageant.’
READ RELATED: Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Wednesday, July 14
Combs declined to say whether the ‘Man Pageant’ has been an annual event.
‘Um. Exactly what is going on here, y’all? C’mon Hazard,’ Nema Brewer, co-founder of education advocacy group KY 120 United, wrote Tuesday night in a tweet that showed the photos. ‘Get it together.’
Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman said they are ‘aware of what took place in Hazard Independent Schools’ and have ‘been in contact with the superintendent, who has informed us that the incident is under investigation.’
Aster Sizemore, a member of Hazard Independent School Board, said he was at the school Tuesday but not at the event where the questionable activity occurred.
‘Normally, the principal, Happy Mobelini, is pretty dad-gum strict, so that surprises me, unless someone pulled something out of a hat,’ Sizemore said, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. ‘A kid comes to school with a short dress, you know, he makes them go home and change.’
Board chairman Ralph Butch Asher said he was aware of the issue. He could not say if the event was an annual one.
In 2008, Mobelini was reportedly investigated twice for alcohol incidents involving students.
In 2008, Mobelini was reportedly investigated twice for alcohol incidents involving students
The superintendent of schools is investigating the event
The Lexington Herald-Leader claimed that in one instance, photos surfaced online of him driving students around as they smoked and drank alcohol.
Mobelini came under similar criticism in 2008 after police caught students drinking on the school football field moments after he left them.
Mobelini did not get into trouble in either case because he was unaware of the drinking, it was reported.
Source:
