Ky. principal at controversial ‘man pageant’ was previously admonished by state board
The Hazard High School principal whose school’s recent homecoming activities are under state investigation was previously admonished and required to get training by Kentucky’s educator professional standards board.
Donald “Happy” Mobelini, as part of a 2011 agreed order with the education professional standards board, took 12 hours of training on legal liability for school districts and 12 hours of training in the dangers of alcohol use by teenagers.
The Herald-Leader received a copy of the order as part of an Open Records Request.
The state is currently investigating an October Homecoming incident in which Mobelini was photographed smiling at a “man pageant” at Hazard High that featured male students simulating lap dances and female students in Hooters t-shirts pretending to serve beer. The incident, in which photos were posted on a school-related Facebook page, drew national media attention.
In 2008, Attorney General’s officials reported to the EPSB that Mobelini drove Hazard High students to a rock concert in Cincinnati and students drank alcohol on the trip.
According to the EPSB order, Mobelini denied the allegation but agreed that if evidence was presented at a hearing, it could result in a finding that he had violated state laws regarding the professional code of educator ethics. The school district required the training which the EPSB said fulfilled its requirements as well.
The 2011 EPSB order said that Mobelini shall “take the utmost precautions” that minors under his supervision not access alcohol.
“The board will not tolerate any future lapses regarding supervision regarding student access to alcohol by Mobelini,” the order said.
Mobelini told board officials at the time that he took his daughter and her friends to the concert in an SUV and did not observe any drinking. Photos surfaced online of him driving students around as they drank alcohol, the Herald-Leader reported at the time.
He was quoted in the Herald-Leader in 2008 saying that “Kids sneak and drink. They screwed up. I’m sorry I didn’t catch them. All I do is try my best to help students not drop out of school and get a diploma. I don’t try to harm them.”
Mobelini’s daughter, Madison, was quoted in the 2008 article saying she was sorry for the harm she caused her father’s reputation.
“My dad was just trying to be nice to me and my friends, and we took full advantage of him and tricked him and lied to him,” she said. “We were stupid and put the pictures on the Internet. We made a mistake, and it’s going to ruin my dad.”
Mobelini came under similar criticism in 2008 after police caught students drinking on the school’s football field moments after he left them. He said he was unaware that they were drinking.
Documents released by the state to the Herald-Leader also show that in 2020, when Mobelini applied to renew his educator license, he answered “no” to a question about whether he had any alleged misconduct pending against him in court.
In fact, Mobelini was the subject of a pending lawsuit at the time. He had been sued in 2019 for alleged failure to provide adequate supervision on a school trip to New York City during which a girl in her junior year was allegedly raped by another student in a hotel after students obtained and drank alcohol. The lawsuit in Perry Circuit Court is ongoing.
Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman said Tuesday that generally if an applicant fails to answer the renewal questions truthfully, then the EPSB has the ability to take action against the educator’s state license.
Mobelini did not immediately answer questions from the Herald-Leader on Tuesday about the issues found in the records released by the state.