The president of Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish has resigned in the wake of the students' protest over the school's decision to force out a gay vice principal who married his partner.
Sister Mary Tracy submitted her resignation to school trustees on Sunday, effective immediately. In an email sent to parents, staff and others on Tuesday evening, the school said a search for her replacement will begin soon.
"For Sister Mary it was a difficult but necessary decision so that a new leader can be brought in to ensure the entire Eastside Catholic community is on a positive path forward," the email said.
Florence Colburn, a parent of two Eastside Catholic students, and a number of other parents have been fighting for the president's removal. Colburn said now that she's gone, the school can finally move on.
"One of our big concerns was being able to attract new teachers to the school. There are some who may not apply because of all this. So there's a lot of damage control that I hope now can start in a healthy environment," Colburn said.
Colburn said one of the parents' new goal is to get Zmuda reinstated under new school leadership.
For weeks, Eastside Catholic students and others have protested Zmuda's departure. The student-led protest attracted global attention and led to two online petitions with tens of thousands of signatures asking for "Mr. Z's" return.
