A Florida charter school principal has been forced to resign after a parent complained that sixth-graders were exposed to pornography during a Renaissance art lesson that included sculpture “David” by Michelangelo.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the principal, Hope Carrasquilla, of the Tallahassee Classical School resigned this week after an ultimatum from the school board president.
One parent complained the material was pornographic and two other parents said they wanted to be told about the lesson before it was given to their children, Carrasquilla said. The instruction also included the painting “Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo and the “Birth of Venus” by Botticelli.
“It saddens me that my time here had to end like this,” Carrasquilla told the newspaper.
The nudity of the “David” statue is part of an age-old debate over art pushes the boundaries and censorship rules. In the 1500s, metal fig leaves covered the genitals of statues like David when the Roman Catholic Church viewed nudity as immodest and obscene.
The Florida kerfuffle also prompted social media users to point out similarities to a 1990s episode of “The Simpsons” where characters debate the censorship of the “David” statue.
