Kentucky's Hazard Independent School District superintendent, Sondra Combs, said in a statement Wednesday that ''appropriate disciplinary action'' has been taken after a Hazard High School homecoming celebration was ''carried too far.''
Photos of the celebration showing scantily clad male students performing what appeared to be ''lap dances'' on staff members, including Principal Donald Mobelini, who is also mayor of Hazard, appeared on the school's athletics page and on social media sites.
Other photos showed female students in Hooters waitress outftss, a pair of male students appearing as Cheech and Chong with something resembling a marijuana cigarette, and other male students paddling each other, USA Today reported.
Combs said in her statement Wednesday that she was made aware of the photos and investigated the celebration, and that the event was ''student-driven.''
''The activities were part of Homecoming festivities and were driven by the students. We strive to foster creativity in our students, but unfortunately, this time it was carried too far,'' she said in the statement, which is available on the school's website.
''Spirit Week at Hazard High School has a long and celebrated tradition. Homecoming activities were planned as a celebration for students, staff, and the school community. All were intended to be fun and good-natured however, the activities did not play out as intended.''
Combs said that because it was a personnel matter, she could not disclose what disciplinary measures were taken, or who received them.
She did say that she would form a ''student activities'' committee that would review such activities so that ''skits'' like the ones in the celebration would be prevented in the future.
She also said the district would institute education for students and staff about posting such material on the internet, and the potential negative consequences of that action.
''At the end of the day, the light-hearted activity simply got out of hand, and for that, we apologize,'' she said in the statement. ''In the future, we will strive to keep the lighthearted, fun nature of school activities without the inappropriate behavior.''
One resident told television station WKYT that the celebration was ''almost pornography.''
''I don't think it was taken out of context,'' the resident said. ''They're half naked, which is almost pornography.''
Meanwhile, parent Hollie Layne told the reporter that the situation was being blown out of proportion.
''None of my children have been hurt, none of the teachers have been hurt,'' she said in an interview. ''It's embarrassing to them that this has to happen at their school because people don't know how to keep their mouths shut.''
Combs apologized to the community in her statement.
''Our district would like to apologize for the activity that has been portrayed in the media and we regret how this has unfolded,'' she said in the statement. ''This is not the type of event that typically occurs here at Hazard High School, and we sincerely regret any embarrassment this has caused our school community. We love our Hazard High School students, staff, and community at large.''
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