The superintendent of a Perry County, Kentucky, school district said disciplinary actions were taken after photos posted to social media showed high school students giving lap dances to staff members.
Hazard Independent School District Superintendent Sondra Combs said she was made aware of the images on Tuesday and launched an investigation the following day.
The pictures were posted on the Hazard High School Athletic page but have since been removed. They are still circulating on social media sites and show scantily clad male and female students appearing to touch and dance in front of staff members.
“I found photos of inappropriate student-led activities that had since surfaced on social media. The district has the responsibility to address these issues that arise out of school-based activities. As a district, we are doing exactly that,” Combs said in a statement.
She said “appropriate disciplinary action has been taken” but could not disclose further information because it involves a personnel matter.
The lap dances occurred during homecoming festivities at the school, which is located roughly 210 miles from Louisville. Combs said the activities are “driven by the students” and are supposed to be “fun and good-natured” but “did not play out as intended.”
“We strive to foster creativity in our students, but unfortunately, this time it was carried too far,” she said in her statement.
The district has not identified any of the students or staff involved. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the school’s principal, Donald “Happy” Mobelini, was involved and is pictured in one of the images.
Mobelini, who is also the mayor of Hazard, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. A city spokesperson could not be reached.
The Kentucky Department of Education said in a series of tweets that it was aware of the incident and has been in contact with Combs.
In addition to disciplining those involved, Combs said a student activity committee will be created to oversee all student-led activities in hopes of preventing another incident.
“While we value our student’s creativity, we also must ensure that it is focused in an appropriate direction and will be more vigilant toward that goal in the future,” she wrote. “At the end of the day, the light-hearted activity simply got out of hand, and for that, we apologize. In the future, we will strive to keep the lighthearted, fun nature of school activities without the inappropriate behavior.”
Source: NBC News
