Principal stands by 'pact' understanding

GLOUCESTER, Mass., June 27 (UPI) -- The principal of a Massachusetts high school disputes the city mayor's saying he was fuzzy about the facts on the existence of a "pregnancy pact."

In a statement to the Gloucester (Mass.) Daily Times, Gloucester High School Principal Joseph Sullivan rejected Mayor Carolyn Kirk's suggestion that he was "foggy in his memory" when pressed on where he got his information that several of the 18 pregnant students did so intentionally.

"I honestly do not remember specifically using the word 'pact' in my meeting with the Time magazine reporter," Sullivan said in the statement issued Thursday. However, he maintained it was "my understanding was that a number of the pregnancies were intentional and that the students within this group were friendly with each other."

After meeting with the Time reporter, Sullivan told the Daily Times a pregnancy spike had been caused by a "clique of girls who wanted to get pregnant."

Sullivan's sources of information about the intentional pregnancies at the high school included the school's nurse practitioner, faculty members and student "chatter," the statement said.

During her news conference Monday, Kirk said Sullivan's inability to remember where he heard about the pact indicates it probably doesn't exist.