Gloucester, MA–[M]y sources had informed me that a significant number of the pregnancies, especially among the younger students, were the result of deliberate and intentional behavior. I also told her that the issuance of birth control prescriptions or the distribution of prophylactics would not take place at the Health Center unless it was with parental consent and school department approval.
“I honestly do not remember specifically using the word “pact” in my meeting with the Time magazine reporter, but I do specifically remember telling Ms. Kingsbury that my understanding was that a number of the pregnancies were intentional and that the students within this group were friendly with each other.”
According to this MSNBC story, Joseph Sullivan, the principal of Gloucester High School, “who said a group of students intentionally got pregnant stood by his comments Thursday, saying his information ‘was and is accurate.'”
Principal Sullivan said:
At the request of the School Department, I have made no public comments since the publication of the Time magazine article. I am issuing this statement today to put to rest the notion that I am “foggy in my memory” or that when pressed, “my memory failed,” statements attributed to the mayor in her press conference this past Monday.
On June 11, near the end of a regularly scheduled meeting with staff, I was informed by a school secretary that a magazine reporter was in the main office lobby to see me. When the meeting concluded, I went to my office and introduced myself to Kathleen Kingsbury, who identified herself as a Time magazine correspondent. She told me that she had questions about the previously published reports about the increased incidences of pregnancy at the high school.
We met in my office. Ms. Kingsbury’s initial questions to me were general in nature and centered on the origin and role of the Health Center and the child-care program at the high school, which I answered. Her direct question to me was whether I thought the distribution of birth control prescriptions or prophylactic devices at the Health Center would have prevented the spike in the number of pregnancies that have been reported this year.
I told her “no” because my sources had informed me that a significant number of the pregnancies, especially among the younger students, were the result of deliberate and intentional behavior. I also told her that the issuance of birth control prescriptions or the distribution of prophylactics would not take place at the Health Center unless it was with parental consent and school department approval.
I honestly do not remember specifically using the word “pact” in my meeting with the Time magazine reporter, but I do specifically remember telling Ms. Kingsbury that my understanding was that a number of the pregnancies were intentional and that the students within this group were friendly with each other. At no time in the interview did I mention any student names nor did I breach any confidences and at the conclusion of the meeting, I told Ms. Kingsbury to leave the high school property because I did not want her to be trying to interview students…
I believe everything I told Kathleen Kingsbury was and is accurate.
Read the full statement here. I’ve discussed the Gloucester case on numerous radio shows and on this blog–to learn more, click here.