'Pregnancy pact' principal quits

GLOUCESTER, Mass., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts high school principal who caused a worldwide media flap about a supposed teen pregnancy pact at his school says he has quit his job.

A letter obtained by the Boston Globe indicates Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan quit his job Tuesday, accusing the city's mayor of slandering him and saying he no longer has the trust of other officials.

Sullivan's comments to a reporter earlier this year that a spike in teen pregnancies at Gloucester High was the result of an intentional effort by girls to have babies put the Massachusetts fishing city into the spotlight, much of the attention unwelcome, the Globe said.

Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk disputed Sullivan's "pact" comments, saying at a July 23 news conference there was "absolutely no evidence" of any pact and adding that Sullivan "was foggy in his memory of how he heard about the information."

In his resignation letter, Sullivan reportedly said Kirk had "publicly slandered my reputation, my integrity, and my intelligence," adding, "I recognize that I have neither the trust, confidence or respect of the mayor nor the superintendent."