A
principal of a Florida school has been forced to resign after a parent
complained that sixth-grade students were exposed to pornography.
The complaint arose from a Renaissance art lesson where students were shown Michelangelo's statue of David.
The iconic statue is one of the most famous in Western history.
But
one parent complained the material was pornographic and two others said
they wanted to know about the class before it was taught.
The 5.17m (17ft) statue depicts an entirely naked David, the Biblical figure who kills the giant Goliath.
The
lesson, given to 11 and 12-year-olds, also included references to
Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" painting and Botticelli's "Birth of
Venus".
Principal
Hope Carrasaquilla of Tallahassee Classical School said she resigned
after she was given an ultimatum by the school board to resign or be
fired.
Local media reported
that Ms Carrasquilla did not know the reason she was asked to resign,
but believed it was related to the complaints over the lesson.
They also said Ms Carrasquilla had been principal for less than one year.
In an interview with
US outlet Slate, the chair of the school's board, Barney Bishop III,
said that last year the principal sent a notice to parents warning them
that students were going to see Michelangelo's David - but that this
wasn't done this year. He called it an "egregious mistake" and said that
"parents are entitled to know anytime their child is being taught a
controversial topic and picture".
"We're
not going to show the full statue of David to kindergartners. We're not
going to show him to second graders. Showing the entire statue of David
is appropriate at some age. We're going to figure out when that is," Mr
Bishop said.
On Thursday, Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, moved to expand a law that banned public schools from teaching sexual education and gender identity.
Teachers who violate the law face being suspended or losing their teaching licences.
The
David was completed by Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504. It was
instantly hailed as a masterpiece, with Renaissance artist Giorgio
Vasari saying the David "surpassed" any statue that had ever existed
before.
Queen
Victoria gifted a copy of the David to the South Kensington museum -
later the V&A - in 1857. When she first saw the cast, she was
apparently so shocked by the nudity that a fig leaf was commissioned to
cover up the genitalia.
The
V&A's website says that the leaf was kept "in readiness for any
royal visits, when it was hung on the figure using two strategically
placed hooks."
