Zachary Ruff, a high-school administrator whose controversial encounter with anti-abortion demonstrators last month drew national attention, resigned on May 11.
Ruff, who is gay, served as an assistant principal at S.T.E.M. Academy in Downingtown for about five years. The school specializes in science, technology, engineering and math.
On April 27, Ruff was placed on paid leave, six days after confronting demonstrators Conner and Lauren Haines outside the school. The incident was caught on video and quickly went viral.
On the video, Conner Haines says Ruff supports “the murder of innocent babies.” The young man tells Ruff: “Sir, you need to turn to Jesus Christ. He can set you free from your sins.”
Ruff, 40, replies: “Listen here, son. Alright. I’m as gay as the day is long and twice as sunny. I don’t give a fuck what you think Jesus tells me and what I should and should not be doing.”
Ruff also refers to the Bible as “a book of fiction.”
“Just because you choose to believe a book of fiction doesn’t mean I have to,” Ruff says. “You and Trump can go to hell.”
Ruff also begins to sing and dance on the video, apparently to drown out the two demonstrators, who are siblings.
In a news release, Downingtown school-district officials expressed an eagerness to put the incident behind them.
“Dr. Ruff, the school board, administration and all members of the Downingtown Area School District would like to put this terribly unfortunate incident in the past, to enable everyone to move forward,” the release states.
According to the release, Ruff attended a May 5 administrative hearing and was suspended without pay upon conclusion of the hearing.
The release reaffirms the rights of demonstrators to express themselves on public sidewalks.
“Dr. Ruff knew that the conduct he displayed was not representative of who he is and was not representative of the kind of educational leader he prided himself on being. Dr. Ruff has acknowledged that the demonstrators had a right to be on a public sidewalk. He acknowledged that his conduct cannot be defended or condoned and he deeply regretted his actions as displayed on the video.”
Ruff, who holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership, couldn’t be reached for comment. At the time of his resignation, his annual salary was $97,000.
On May 3, about 200 people attended a meeting of the Downingtown Area School Board, urging board members not to fire or demote Ruff. But some attendees questioned Ruff’s judgment during the incident and said his conduct was unprofessional.
An online petition urging that Ruff not be fired garnered about 50,000 signatures.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, a faith-based legal group, sent a letter to district officials, raising the possibility that Ruff committed “assault and battery” during the incident.
But Chester County District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan told PGN he reviewed the video and concluded there was no apparent criminality on the part of Ruff or the Haines siblings.