“Thou Shalt Not Steal” is the eighth of the Ten Commandments. It prohibits the taking of another’s property without permission. It is a foundational moral imperative across all religious traditions. It encompasses theft, robbery, fraud, and wage theft, emphasizing honesty, integrity, and respect for personal property.
This story out of New York goes to show you that people really will steal on absolutely every level. It is not just the government. It is not just bank robbers. It is not just Medicare/Medicaid fraudsters. It is not just “stick-up kids”. It is not just the clerk with their hand in the till. How about it also includes school principals?
As most of the students in New York public school dine on luke-warm chicken patties or burgers like hockey pucks for lunch, all served with chocolate milk, one lucky fella from Wyandanch Memorial High School on Long Island, principal Paul Sibblies, dined on steak and lobster. And guess what? Of course, he did it at taxpayers’ expense.
What Exactly Did This Thief Do?
From 2021 to 2024, Sibblies reimbursed himself a total of $35,519 using cash meant for a school club. That is over $10,000 a school year. He obviously did this without approval or supervision from anyone. This story came out in Long Island local newspaper Newsday. Sibblies paid himself 41 times using money from the high school’s Kappa League club. For what it matters, the Kappa League Club is a leadership program affiliated with the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
This info all came out as part of an audit. The most concerning part of the audit was when they first discovered a steak and lobster dinner that Sibblies and an unidentified person ate at a restaurant in Delaware. Sibblies reimbursed himself $126 for the bill, which also included alcohol. He logged the transaction as “EOY Academic Success.”
The audit was completed in early 2025 and made public last month. Separately, auditors flagged other questionable expenses at the Wyandanch Free Union School District, including a jet ski rental in Bermuda. The school district was also missing records showing how much was spent on field trips and donated to clubs.
Sibblies certainly could have afforded this luxury meal. He made $192,479 in 2024, according to payroll records obtained by Open the Books. That made him the fourth-highest paid person in the district. He was one of 24 people making at least $150,000.
Some idiot named Larry Aronstein, the district’s former interim superintendent, went on record saying that Sibblies was paying himself back for expenses he had laid out on behalf of the school. Sibblies told Newsday the steak and lobster meal was “school-related” but declined to answer other questions.
“I know his character, and for whatever that’s worth, I think he’s a good man,” Aronstein told Newsday about Sibblies. “He runs a very good school and is committed to providing his students enrichment experiences that they can have going beyond the borders of Wyandanch.”
The school board appears unsatisfied with that explanation. They appointed legal counsel in November 2025 to investigate the audit’s findings, according to Newsday. “We know what is personal and what is for the sake of students,” board trustee Jarod Morris told Newsday. “A steak and lobster dinner in Delaware is personal.”
It just goes to show you that people will find a way to steal when they want to. Even if it means taking from their own students. What I find most interesting about this is how this guy walks the hallways without getting spitballs thrown at him. How does he look these students in their eyes? The answer is, that he doesn’t. He sits in his office and eats lobster.
