Joseph Sullivan
In June 2008, Gloucester High School in Gloucester, Massachusetts, became the focus of media attention when Joseph Sullivan told a reporter that a group of girls at the school had made a pact to get pregnant and raise their children together. Later that month, local civic leaders and school officials disputed Sullivan's claims of a "pregnancy pact," saying the principal's memory had "failed." Sullivan resigned as the principal of the high school on August 12, 2008.1
Fast Facts
- August 12, 2008: Joseph Sullivan resigned as principal of Gloucester High School1
- June 2008: Sullivan claimed a group of girls at the school made a "pregnancy pact"1
- Sullivan made his comments in a Time Magazine interview2
- School officials and Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk said there was no evidence of "any planned blood-oath bond to become pregnant"1
- Kirk said Sullivan was "foggy in his memory" about the alleged pact1
- Sullivan later claimed that Kirk "publicly slandered my reputation, my integrity and my intelligence"1
- Sullivan's resignation is effective on August 15, 20083
Quote
"I fully appreciate the fact that without the mayor’s and superintendent’s unqualified support the already difficult and challenging job of being the high school principal becomes next to impossible."1—Joseph Sullivan
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