The dismissal of a school principal in Tallahassee, Florida, has caused a lot of reaction in recent days.
• Read also: School principal fired for showing Michelangelo’s David in class
Hope Carrasquilla initially spoke in American media that she had lost her job because a photo of Michelangelo’s famous David had been shown in class. This news generated many reactions as many lamented that the Florida education system censored the broadcast of a historical masterpiece.
However, it would seem that this is not exactly, or at least not solely, for this reason that the principal of the Tallahassee Classical School was fired.
In an interview with CNN, Ms. Carrasquilla admitted that the relationship between the school board and her had deteriorated greatly over the past year, because the principal did not always follow procedure.
“The chairman of the commission was not happy with my work,” she said.
Barney Bishop, the school board chairman, told CNN it has become increasingly clear that the school needs to move in a different direction, under a different leadership. He reportedly told Hope Carrasquilla about it several times.
“She was not fired because of the story of Michelangelo’s David,” claims Mr. Bishop.
He maintains that every year Renaissance art is taught in class, but the problem is that Ms Carrasquilla failed to follow the procedure which stipulated that she had to warn parents that there would be a broadcast in class of an image that includes nudity.
“We are not trying to ban photography. We believe that it is a beautiful work, but we are going to make sure that the rights of the parents are a priority,” explained the president of the school board.
Mr. Bishop stresses that it is not a question of parents deciding what will be taught in class, but that it is necessary to make sure to warn them if subjects or images that may shock are discussed.
The school board chairman said 97% of parents had no problem with the picture of Michelangelo’s David, but some had complaints.
“If there is a parent who complains and we have not followed the procedure, we must ensure that we do not repeat this mistake”, maintains Barney Bishop.