The firing of a school principal in Tallahassee, Florida, has caused a lot of reactions in recent days.
• Also read: The headmaster was fired for showing Michelangelo’s David in class
Hope Carrasquilla first spoke in the American media about losing her job because a photo of Michelangelo’s famous David was shown in class. The news sparked many reactions, as many complained that Florida’s education system censored the broadcast of a historical masterpiece.
It appears, however, that this was not exactly, or at least not solely for this reason, the reason for the Tallahassee Classical School principal’s dismissal.
In an interview with CNN, Ms. Carrasquilla admitted that the school board’s relationship with her had deteriorated over the past year because the principal didn’t always follow procedure.
“The chairman of the commission was not satisfied with my work,” she said.
Barney Bishop, the chair of the school board, told CNN it was becoming increasingly clear that the school needed to go in a different direction under different leadership. He reportedly told Hope Carrasquilla about it several times.
“She wasn’t fired because of the story of Michelangelo’s David,” claims Mr Bishop.
He claims that Renaissance art is taught in class every year, but the problem is that Ms. Carrasquilla did not follow procedure which dictated that she had to warn parents that a nudity image would be broadcast in class.
“We are not trying to ban photography. We think it’s nice work, but we’ll make sure parents’ rights come first,” said the school board president.
Mr Bishop stressed that it is not up to parents to decide what is taught in the classroom, but that there is a need to warn them when topics or images that might shock them are discussed.
The school board chair said 97% of parents had no problem with the picture of Michelangelo’s David, but some had complaints.
“If a parent complains and we haven’t followed the procedure, we need to make sure we don’t repeat that mistake,” claims Barney Bishop.