Mount Saint Joseph Principal Barry Fitzpatrick submitted his resignation on Jan. 29 after inappropriate communications with his students, according to the official statement released by Mount Saint Joseph President George Andrews. According to the statement, the school board “recently discovered communications from Mr. Fitzpatrick that he acknowledged were inappropriate, and we accepted his resignation.”

The specific nature of these communications is not clear, though they were related to the “proper authorities” according to Mount Saint Joseph Assistant Director of Development and Public Relations Jessica Ader.

Currently, Mount Saint Joseph Director of Studies Assistant Principal David Norton is acting as Principal. According to Ader, Norton “followed the correct measures” in this situation.

Fiztzpatrick’s resignation came as a surprise to many students and colleagues. “He was the coolest guy,” Mount Saint Joseph student Brett DeBoy said. “I couldn’t see him doing that…He wasn’t afraid to yell, so someone could have been offended, but that is the only reason I can think of.”

“He was the best teacher,” Mount Saint Joseph student Jadan Bleu said.

JC Principal Madelyn Ball knew Fitzpatrick for 20 years since they met at Good Counsel High School. “I’m just shocked that it’s him,” she said. “In this day and age, everybody in education has to be careful because anything we do can be easily misinterpreted.”

According to Ball, the most the JC school community can do for Mount Saint Joseph High School is send prayers. “It’s a devastating thing for them. This kind of thing can crush a community,” she said. “They need our prayers for clarity and strength.”

Brianna Glase is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.