This was according to new Saipan Southern High School principal Jesse M. Tudela.
He said his office had neither received any petition nor seen a copy of it.
Tudela said it is not the students or the parents but the education commissioner who can assign principals to schools.
He said he is only doing his job for SSHS.
Tudela said Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan was also surprised to see the Saipan Tribune report about a nonexistent petition.
Garrison, for his part, said many parents in the SSHS community were able to see the “vision” he had as principal of the school.
The parents wanted their children to be a part of that vision, he added.
However, he said, under Tudela, the programs, projects and vision of the school will “continue to move forward and SSHS will maintain itself as a shining example for CNMI schools today.”
“If you build a great program, there is always a plan for sustainability. That’s what effective leaders do,” he added.
