BEDFORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire school superintendent has resigned amid a controversy in which he allowed a staffer to speak favorably of a guidance counselor sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student.

Chip McGee, a 15-year Bedford school district worker, says Friday that he has decided to step down.

Kristie Torbick had been a guidance counselor at Bedford for five years before transferring to Exeter, where she pleaded guilty to sex-assault charges. Former colleagues and others had written on her behalf.

Bedford High School’s dean of students addressed the court to praise Torbick with McGee’s knowledge. Bedford parents felt that was wrong and called for McGee’s resignation.

McGee says Torbick’s lawyer asked for information about her work in Bedford, where she had no complaints.

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