More than four centuries after its creation, one of the world's most famous sculptures continues to cause a stir.
A school principal in Tallahassee, Florida, says she was forced to resign because she showed sixth graders the famous 'David' statue,
Created by the Italian sculptor Michelangelo in the 16th century, and representing the
biblical King David naked in the moment before facing Goliath.
A parent at the school took issue with the sculpture, one of the pinnacle works of the Renaissance, not to be displayed in class and described it as "pornographic," according to a report by the Tallahassee Democrat.
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Hope Carrasquilla, who worked as the principal of the Tallahassee Classical School, had to leave her position after an emergency meeting of the board of directors, following the class in question, according to the local newspaper.
Barney Bishop, the school's board director, told Carrasquilla that she could resign or be fired, but offered no reason for the ultimatum.
"It makes me sad that my time here is coming to an end like this," Carrasquilla told the Tallahassee Democrat.
She had held the position less than a year.
The famous David sculpture, by Michelangelo, in Florence, Italy. Franco Origlia / Getty Images
Carrasquilla said the school is
required by law to teach Renaissance to sixth graders
as part of its curriculum, but three parents complained that the children were uncomfortable with the class.
Two of the parents said they would have liked to have been informed about the class in advance, the newspaper reported, adding that the school board had passed a rule two months ago requiring parents to be notified of any "potentially controversial" content that was to be taught.
A third parent, the outlet said, described the class where the sculpture was presented as "pornographic."
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"Parental rights are paramount, which means protecting the interests of all parents, whether it's one, 10, 20 or 50," Barney Bishop told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Bishop did not explain to the newspaper why he gave Carrasquilla the ultimatum and cited advice from the school's legal team.
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Carrasquilla explained to the Huffington Post that due to "a series of communication failures," a letter notifying parents about the class was not sent.
The professor told the publication that she has been teaching classical education for a decade and that
"every now and then there's a parent who gets annoyed by Renaissance art."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is waging a "culture war" on education in the state, with laws aimed at limiting teaching on LGBTQ topics, race and sexuality.
Conservatives have welcomed the pressure DeSantis has exerted on the state College Board, which appears to have led the college to transform courses on African-American and other topics, seeking to
further
restrict
what is taught in schools .
