Community Corner
James Franco Artwork Removal: School Superintendent Responds
"The decision to remove the mural, and now artwork, was not made lightly," Palo Alto school district official said.
PALO ALTO, CA – Artwork donated by actor James Franco to Palo Alto High School in honor of his time as a student was removed last week "in the best interests of students," according to the school district's interim superintendent.
Superintendent Karen Hendricks sent out a statement Thursday night acknowledging media reports that had arisen from a mural removed from the school's Media Arts Center on at the campus.
"The decision to remove the mural, and now artwork, was not made lightly but we will always prioritize the physical and emotional well-being of our students over any other concerns," Hendricks said.
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Palo Alto High School graduate Franco donated multiple pieces of artwork and two murals to the high school campus, according to Hendricks. The school and district appreciated his donation but said that it was intended to be temporary in nature and would be respectfully returned or painted over at some point.
The first mural donated was removed in 2016, and the artwork in the library was taken down in the summer of 2017 during "a renovation process," according to Hendricks.
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The Latinos Unidos group is working with Palo Alto High School's Associated Student Body and Visual and Performing Arts Department to create a new mural. Currently, their idea includes celebrating the cultural
backgrounds and diversity of the campus, Hendricks said.
Remaining artwork Franco donated that was not removed at the MAC is being transitioned out as new places are being found to replace them.
Franco is under fire after multiple women took to social media and public comment to allege that he had sexually harassed them after he wore a "Time's Up" pin to the Golden Globe Awards in January. He has since publicly acknowledged the claims on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
In her statement, Hendricks did not comment on the allegations against Franco, but said that she leads RISE, a taskforce whose mission is to ensure Title IX compliance. She said that many changes have been made to the high school's reporting systems and that the task force will continue to make efforts in improving them as well as bringing experts in to talk about the "difficult conversations about sexual harassment."
The school district has made resources on complaint filing policies and counseling available on their website at https://www.pausd.org.
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--Bay City News/Photo: In this Jan. 7, 2018 file photo, James Franco arrives at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Facing accusations by an actress and a filmmaker over alleged sexual misconduct, James Franco said on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday the things he's heard aren't accurate but he supports people coming out "because they didn't have a voice for so long." (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
