GLOUCESTER, Mass., Aug. 13, 2008
"Pregnancy Pact" Principal Resigns
Created Firestorm With Comments That Teen Girls At Mass. High School Purposely Got Pregnant
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Seventeen girls at Gloucester High School became pregnant this year - four times the usual number. (CBS)
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Time magazine reported in June that Joseph Sullivan said a pact made by a group of teens to get pregnant and raise their babies together was at least partly behind a spike in pregnancies at Gloucester High School. Seventeen girls at the school became pregnant this year - four times the usual number.
Sullivan later said he did not recall using the word "pact" but believed many of the pregnancies were intentional.
The theory arose amid a debate over whether to dispense contraceptives at a school health clinic without parents' knowledge.
Mayor Carolyn Kirk said at a June 23 news conference that she and school officials could not confirm the existence of a pact and had not invited Sullivan to the news conference because they could not verify his comments.
The principal said in a statement released by his attorney Tuesday that he believes the mayor "publicly slandered my reputation, my integrity and my intelligence" at the news conference.
"The ramifications of this whole episode on me and ... my family have been devastating and the Mayor's actions and the Superintendent's public silence has forced me to recognize that I have neither the trust, confidence or respect of the Mayor nor the Superintendent," Sullivan said in the statement sent to the Gloucester Daily Times.
He said he was resigning effective Friday and would retire.
"I have at all times tried to fair and honest with the students, the faculty, the staff and the community," he said. "At all times I have done what I have felt was in the best interests of the high school."
Kirk said in a statement Tuesday that "Dr. Sullivan will long be remembered in Gloucester for the many individual families he helped over the past 10 years. I wish him all the best in his retirement."
She did not immediately return calls to her office and home seeking further comment.
Officials have started an extensive study of teen pregnancy in Gloucester, including a review of the city's sex education programs and whether the school's 8-year-old day care center sent a message approving of teen motherhood.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 37 Comments
- keithle,
I was a teen ager once as ye were. I am going to tell ye what I was told. Foster mother said this way *I don''t care what and how other girls dress yer not dressing as them. We have a dress code and ye will abide by it. I buy yer clothes and ye will wear them, do I make myself clear,* I said dutiful *yes ma''am ye do.* I had I worn the wrong thing I would have been told to change my clothes.
Keithle Would ye allow yer girls to do as they want. If yer a Dad I think not. That is why ye a parent. Yer in command not the minor. Yer posts tell it like it is.
The churches got not business telling girls they can''t use birth control. The mormons are worse in this as they will not allow sexx ed. No birth control . I hate dresses to this day.
This girl in gym was worried about her breast size, a girl who never got her period, teenage girls worried about their body. I could careless as I was abused I told them. I was not allowed to talk to a boy or if I could see, look at him ,foster mother''s rules. I could not have friends her ruld again. - Reply to this comment
- Catholic Church is no help with their stupid high-and-mighty propaganda:
No birth control! Ever! Throw away those satanic condoms! Abortion is never the answer! Every sperm is sacred! Have more babies! The world needs more people. The human race is dying out! No, we won''t help you babysit. That''s your problem. S e x = pregnancy = HAVING THE BABY. Always & forever. - Reply to this comment
- A teenage girl gets pregnant every 30 seconds.
There are a lot of mothers/grandmothers babysitting for their teenage daughters/granddaughters while they go to school, work at a minimum wage job, etc. It affects the whole family. Baby''s "father" usually disappears.
Some girls are disappointed with the boys they meet & are looking for unconditional love from a baby. Boy just wants quick & easy s e x. He''s not looking for monogamy.
You''re never going to get teenage girls to "dress properly," BarbaraM99. That''s the LAST thing they want to do. If their parents like the clothes they wear then they''re doing something wrong. They want to look like a s e x y *** to get attention from boys.
But it''s not like the teenage boys are going to ignore girls if they dress like Mr. Drysdale''s secretary Jane Hathaway from "Beverly Hillbillies."
I went to high school where we had to wear a uniform but that didn''t stop me from noticing hotties, girls with big breasts, etc. Teenage hormones. Nubile maidens everywhere.
Getting pregnant won''t force the boy to stay with you. It''ll have the opposite effect. DUH.
Soon as she graduates from high school she''ll probably never see 99% of the boys from her school ever again. All the boys she thought were so "cool" & "hot." - Reply to this comment
- I don''t hate kids and due to health issues never wanted to bring a child in to the world that I could not raise and give a home,That said where were the girls parents, Adults don''t want to talk about this issue sexx. Yet they are up in arms when Janey is with child. Are ye gonna address this issue mother and father. I am the daughther of a teen mother and I was put on the town at 5. My parents would not stay married. Mother thinks it won''t happen to my girl..think again. Sexx is in yer face, on TV,movies,music,books,etc. Why ye think girls dress as they do..No body told me about the facts of life. Why does a young girl want a baby really why.
Is it to keep a boyfriend
Run away from home
State aid
Attn a baby brins
A baby makes her feel grown up.
They are childre having children.
It is sad.
I think the blame is the parents that are too busy to be parents. - Reply to this comment
- Girls today have vastly less understanding about pregnancy then they used to, there is a sort of "don''t ask, don''t tell" phenomenon at place.
With the increase of abstinence based education and less discussion about teen ***, there has been an increase of teen pregancies and teens getting STD''s such as HIV.
All these groups who say they support teens by witholding basic information about contraception and *** in truth must hate young people.
Why else would they want teens to get HIV and get pregnant at higher rates?
Give teens the facts and the might make the "right" choice; hide the facts from them, and you are responsible for their ignorance which means you helped them get HIV and get pregnant.
So many adults seem to hate kids and want to hide basic info from them and must want them them to get sick and pregnant. - Reply to this comment
- I am from Maine. I am sorry but I am not buying the girls have no idea where babies come from. I knew at 10. Cats having kittens.
Time to set them down and lie the rules out.
School is for learning.
Dress properly
Dating is off limits.
Get a education before babies.
Girls grow up. - Reply to this comment
- Officials have started an extensive study of teen pregnancy in Gloucester, including a review of the city''s *** education programs and whether the school''s 8-year-old day care center sent a message approving of teen motherhood.
This is new to me, I didn''t know High schools had day care centers. - Reply to this comment
- [Could you imagine that our High school students, when polled, almost all of them could not name the past presidents of the US, and almost all of the Japanese, and Chinese students named almost all of them ? That is pitiful. And the most painful thing about it was that nobody seems to care.]
[Posted by ubada at 12:57 PM : Aug 13, 2008]
this won''t get you anywhere with respect to who the finalists are on american idol ... or who the winner was on dancing w/ the stars ... or what new texting plan is available for your new cell phone.
studying history will only show them that there were generations of others ... for thousands of years ... dealing w/ the same problems they deal with. what good is this?
[/end of sarcasm] - Reply to this comment
- Forgive me here the bible don''t work in this case. Ye can preach till the cows come home. It don''t work. We have sep of church and state. What will work is that fact is taking care of a child and realising I am too young for this. I HELPPED CARE OF CHILDREN IN THE FOSTER HOME 15 TO 18. I did not want children. They are demanding.
- Reply to this comment
- SistaTee and ladies,
They know where babies come from and the know what a monthly period is, They know full well the act of sexx with them and males they will carry a baby. I was not born yesturday sister. - Reply to this comment
- The girls were quoted as saying they didn''t know where babies came from.
- Reply to this comment
- AMERICA IS A COUNTRY OF MANY MANY YOUNG *****!!
Posted by Good4Always at 02:50 PM : Aug 13, 2008
That would be spelled "*****". Be have far more ignorant morons like you that need to learn to shut up and stop making a fool of yourself.
Why must the morons always type in caps? Feeling powerless and unheard? You are and you should be. Kill your computer. - Reply to this comment
- look in to the foster homes.. I grew in them..moved from home to home..60s to 70s. ABUSE..The nanny state took away what a parents can''t do. Ye end up in foster home. That child is a ward of the state.
Ye can''t do
Tap their seat
Ground them
Tell them they can''t do /wear that.
The child bosses the adult. I have seen it. - Reply to this comment
- Bush made him say it.
- Reply to this comment
- Did anybody seem to pay attention to the damage the so called CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES are causing this society? See, the minute you take away parental right and responsibility, the sooner you ruin the society. That is what is happening to this society and the worst is yet to come. Stay tuned!!!!!!!
Posted by ubada at 12:57 PM : Aug 13, 2008
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Agreed. CPS is the most highly detrimental agency threatening American society today. The damage done is only now beginning to rear its head...increased drug use and teen pregnancies as a result of families ripped apart by government interference. CPS workers are pit bulls, borderline sociopaths. Their job involves nothing short of kidnapping. There are no substantial standards/policies in place within the system to keep a rogue control-freak social worker in check. Once you are accused, you must prove innocence against their accusations. In addition, the juvenile court system is an utter mess. - Reply to this comment
- Like all politicians the Mayor was probable in bed with them
Posted by god-is-true at 11:57 AM : Aug 13, 2008
You appear to believe in GOD, why don''t you let ''Him'' judge them and not yourself. you are as bad as those you accuse. - Reply to this comment
- if ONE MORE girl had ended up pregnant at that school, I guarantee you one of these so-called parents would have tried to SUE THE SAME PRINCIPAL for not saying anything to prevent it!
Posted by DaVicar2 at 11:06 AM : Aug 13, 2008
100% agreement - Reply to this comment
- We are now drifting to the lowest position in the world. Thanks to the political correctness,our little ignorance that permeate all the segment of the society especially our so called leader.
Could you imagine that our High school students, when polled, almost all of them could not name the past presidents of the US, and almost all of the Japanese, and Chinese students named almost all of them ? That is pitiful. And the most painful thing about it was that nobody seems to care. Did anybody seem to pay attention to the damage the so called CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES are causing this society? See, the minute you take away parental right and responsibility, the sooner you ruin the society. That is what is happening to this society and the worst is yet to come. Stay tuned!!!!!!! - Reply to this comment
- And I think that it is about time that America really wakes up from it''s slumber. I just want people to realize that, with the advent of the Internet, America is now being EXPOSED to the rest of the world.
Long time ago, the whole world held us in a very high esteem. But not any more. With the Bush blunders and all the political correctness we do, the whole world is watching. And the more we air our laundry for the whole world to see, the more we loose the remainder of the little respect we have. - Reply to this comment
- Sure, that''s what''s wrong with the Country. Everybody is looking for someone to blame for whatever goes wrong with their lives. No body ever takes responsibility for their own actions.
- Reply to this comment
