FL Principal Ousted Over Students’ Viewing Of ‘David’ Visits Italy

TALLAHASSEE, FL — A Florida principal who lost her job after allowing students to view images of the iconic sculpture of “David,” which some parents called “pornographic,” recently traveled to Italy to see the 16th-century artwork by Michelangelo in person.

In March, following complaints by several parents that their children were shown a photo of the sculpture, Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Tallahassee Classical School, was given the option of resigning or being fired. She chose to resign from the public charter school after less than a year in the position.

Carrasquilla told HuffPost that school policy was to send letters to parents before students view classical artwork. In this case, due to a "series of miscommunications," the letter was not sent to sixth-grade parents, she said.

In the aftermath of the incident, which made international headlines, Carrasquilla was invited by the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, which houses “David,” and the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, to visit the city and the 14-foot-tall statue.

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“Remember the Florida school teacher who was fired for showing photos of Michelangelo's ‘David’ in class? Well, we promised to invite her to Florence and today she will be at Palazzo Vecchio to tell us that art has nothing to do with pornography,” Nardella tweeted Saturday, according to Google translate.

The mayor later tweeted, “A few weeks ago she was attacked for showing her students Michelangelo's ‘David.’ Today (she) receives from (Comune di Firenze) a recognition in the name of art and culture. Art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect.”

Carrasquilla and her family traveled to Florence Thursday morning, her son told USA Today. They’re spending a week in the city.

As soon as they arrived in Florence, they went directly to the museum to view “David,” Cecilie Hollberg with the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze said.

“There is nothing wrong with the human body in and of itself,” Carrasquilla said, according to a statement from the museum provided to The Washington Post.

While visiting the museum, she commented on the marble sculpture’s “purity” and “humanness.”

The artwork, created between 1501 and 1504, depicts the Biblical figure David standing nude. It was initially commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence.

Hollberg told the Post that the statue, representing the religious principal of good triumphing over evil, has “nothing to do with pornography.”