Principal in pregnancy pact saga resigns

A Massachusetts high school principal who was quoted in a magazine as saying that some teenagers had made a pact to get pregnant has resigned.

Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan said Tuesday that he doesn’t have the trust, confidence or respect of the mayor and superintendent.

Time magazine quoted Sullivan as saying some Gloucester girls had formed a "pregnancy pact." He later said he didn’t recall using the word “pact,” but believed some of the pregnancies were intentional.

In a statement obtained by the Gloucester Daily Times on Tuesday, Sullivan said he "gave a direct, truthful and honest answer," when asked by a reporter about the topic. 

"In the aftermath of that interview, while I was advised by the superintendent of schools not to make any public comments, and while I had to move out of my own house to avoid 'news' reporters and harassing phone calls, the mayor held a press conference and publicly slandered my reputation, my integrity and my intelligence," he said.

Sullivan also said he had not been pressured to resign, and that he had been eligible for retirement for more than two years. 

Seventeen girls in the school reportedly became pregnant this year — four times the usual number.

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