WORLD NEWS | Tourists flock to view David sculpture after Florida riots

FLORENCE (Italy), March 28 (AP) — A Florida school decided to force its principal to resign Tuesday amid complaints about the Renaissance masterpiece.

Tourists, many of them Americans on spring break or studying abroad, pose for selfies in front of the massive marble statue featuring the biblical David, naked with a sling over his shoulder and a piece of Stone, ready to fight Goliath.

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Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia reopened on Tuesday after being closed every Monday, with tourists and locals alike unable to get over the controversy.

“It’s part of history,” said Isabele Joles of Ohio, who is studying French and Italian art with her school group. “I don’t see how you can say it’s porn.”

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She and other visitors reacted to the Tallahassee Classical School Board’s decision to force the resignation of principal Hope Carrasquilla after an image of David was shown to a sixth-grade art class last week.

Carrasquilla believes the board targeted her after three parents complained that nude images would be displayed without advance notice, while a third parent said the iconic statue, considered the height of Renaissance sculpture, was pornographic . The school has a policy requiring parents to be notified in advance of “controversial” topics being taught.

Both the mayor of Florence and the museum director were skeptical of the commotion over the weekend and invited the ousted principal and the school community to see the sculpture in person.

“We’re talking about the roots of Western culture, and David is the height, the height of beauty,” museum director Cecily Holberg said in an interview Tuesday as visitors rubbed off on her selfies with the statue. over the shoulder.

Controversy isn’t just a topic for Florence. A large crowd attended a school board meeting Monday night in Tallahassee for more than an hour of public comment on the David statue controversy, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

Some parents and teachers criticized the board and even called for chairman Barney Bishop to step down.

“Given all these parents who are dissatisfied with your leadership, are you willing to resign and lead us with integrity?” Teacher Ben Steigner asked.

Bishop declined and said he intended to stay on as chairman until his term ends in May, and then serve on the board for another year, the newspaper reported. Five trustees are elected by themselves, not their parents, for three-year terms. New principal Cara Wynn told the school board that nine students have left the school since the David controversy began, but three have enrolled.

Tallahassee Classical School is a charter school. While it’s taxpayer-funded and tuition-free, it operates almost entirely independently of local school districts and is popular with parents looking for an alternative to the public school curriculum. Approximately 400 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 attend the three-year-old institution, which is currently serving its third principal.

It follows a curriculum designed by Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is frequently consulted on education issues.

However, the Florida Department of Education has distanced itself from the controversy and the school’s decision.

“The David has artistic and historical value. The state of Florida encourages the teaching of classics and classical art and does not prohibit its use in teaching,” the department said in a statement. “The matter at Tallahassee Classical School is a matter between the school and its staff and is not subject to state rules or laws.”

At the museum on Tuesday, Brian Stapley, a visitor from Seattle Washington, said he felt sorry for the school children.

“It’s one of the most incredible parts of our history,” he said as he waited in line to enter the museum. “I’m so sorry for the kids who didn’t see it.” (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)