Many people expressed shock this week after photos surfaced from a Kentucky high school's homecoming week that showed, among other things, students giving lap dances in their underwear. The photos from Hazard High School continue to circulate, prompting an investigation by the school district.
Here's what to know about the situation, the school and the community:
Background:Lap dances and a 'Man Pageant': Kentucky school's homecoming event under investigation
Hazard High School
Hazard High is one of three schools that make up Hazard Independent Schools. It is the only high school in the district.
There are about 340 students enrolled in the ninth through 12th grades at the school, according to U.S. News & World Report, and the student population is almost 87% white. About 56% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, U.S. News & World Report's data shows.
There are 32 staff members listed on the school's directory.
What happened at Hazard High School homecoming?
Photos initially posted to a "Hazard High School Athletics" Facebook page that then circulated throughout social media this week showed students in undergarments giving lap dances to what appeared to be faculty and staff, including Hazard High School Principal Donald "Happy" Mobelini.
The photos were taken at "homecoming week" events, the post said. Homecoming celebrations began Sunday, according to the school's calendar, and included a "Man Pageant" and "Costume Day." They also showed young women dressed as Hooter's waitresses and people leaning on a table who appeared to be paddling each other.
The Facebook post from the school's athletics department that had the photos was deleted by Wednesday afternoon.
Is Hazard High School's homecoming under investigation?
Superintendent Sondra Combs told The Courier Journal on Wednesday that "the incident is being investigated and once the investigation is complete, appropriate action will be taken" but declined to share more details.
She said in a later statement the district had handed down a punishment or punishments but is "not allowed to disclose any further information regarding the specifics of the discipline" because it is a "personnel matter."
Combs did say a "student activity committee" would be formed "to review all student led activities" and that all staff would undergo further training "on policies and procedures.
Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman said it is "aware of what took place in Hazard Independent Schools" and has "been in contact with the superintendent, who has informed us that the incident is under investigation."
"Kentucky law provides that school district superintendents are required to report instances of educator misconduct to the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB). Therefore, if the investigation finds a certified educator likely violated the Kentucky Educator Code of Ethics, the superintendent is required to report this to the EPSB for potential action," Konz Tatman told The Courier Journal.
Who is Hazard High School's principal? Has he had issues in the past?
Hazard High is led by Principal Donald "Happy" Mobelini, who is also the city's mayor.
"My goal as your Mayor is to make government work for you," he says in his official bio on the city's website.
He has been investigated before, including in 2008 when photos of his daughter and four of her teenage friends drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in a car he was driving surfaced. Mobelini denied knowing what the teens were doing, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported at the time.
That same year, according to Herald-Leader reports, Mobelini came under fire after a dozen underage students were charged after being found drinking on Hazard High's football field. Charges were never filed against Mobelini.
Mobelini did not immediately return requests for comment from The Courier Journal on Wednesday.
Mobelini is also the defendant along with two Hazard High School teachers and the district in a pending lawsuit filed by a former student who said she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room by a classmate during a junior class trip to New York City and Washington, D.C., in 2017.
After reporting the assault to Mobelini the following day, the girl said Mobelini and the two teachers who were serving as the adult chaperones on the trip told her, among other comments, that it "was all her fault" and she should not file charges as "it would go on the male student's permanent record," the lawsuit claims.
One of the chaperones also brought the girl's alleged attacker into the same room as her in order to make the two students "confront one another," according to the suit.
The female student later transferred out of Hazard High School, according to the suit, and the case in Perry Circuit Court is set for a trial in August 2022.
Where is Hazard, Kentucky?
Hazard is a city located in southeastern Kentucky, about a three-hour drive from Louisville and two hours from Lexington. The population is about 5,000, U.S. census records show.
The city was incorporated in 1884 and is the is seat of Perry County. The area was known as "Hazard" as early as the 1820s, according to the city's website.
Reaction:What is happening at Hazard High School? You're not the only one asking
What is Hazard, Kentucky, known for?
Hazard, known as the "Queen City of the Mountains," and the rest of Perry County were for a long time known as hubs for the coal and lumber industries. Today, the area is home to attractions such as Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park and part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
The city was mentioned in the television show "Justified," which ran on FX for six seasons and was set in southeastern Kentucky. It's unrelated to the long-running TV comedy "The Dukes of Hazzard," which was set in a fictional Georgia community.
Courier Journal reporters Billy Kobin and Chris Kenning contributed to this story.
Mary Ramsey is a breaking news reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach her at [email protected], and follow her on Twitter @mcolleen1996. Support strong local journalism in our community by subscribing to The Courier Journal today.
