Students and parents protesting the departure of a gay vice principal from their Seattle-area Catholic high school on Wednesday turned in a petition to the Archdiocese of Seattle asking the church to reconsider its policy on gay marriage.
The archdiocese responded with a statement saying they stand by the decision to replace the popular teacher, coach and vice principal.
Archbishop J. Peter Sartain said the decision was made after much prayer and consultation. He says it was not meant to be discriminatory against Mark Zmuda, but to hold up the Catholic teachings on which the school was founded.
The online petition started on change.org by the senior class president gathered more than 30,000 signatures.
The petition was launched in late December after Zmuda resigned under pressure from school administration after they learned he had married his same-sex partner.