Mayor in Italy buys into talking points that Florida principal was forced out over ‘David’ statue

The mayor of Florence, Italy, took to Twitter to weigh in on the controversy over a Florida charter school principal reportedly forced out over a 6th grade Renaissance art lesson featuring Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture.

The famed 16th-century marble statue is housed in La Galleria dell’Accademia, an art museum in Florence, and the city’s mayor showcased how far-reaching a political narrative can be when boosted by the media to overshadow the truth.

“A Florida teacher was forced to quit for showing students photos of Michelangelo’s David. Mistaking art for pornography is just ridiculous,” Mayor Dario Nardella tweeted.

In a follow-up tweet, Nardella extended a personal invitation to Tallahassee Classical School principal Hope Carrasquilla, who was reportedly pressured to resign.

“I will personally invite the teacher to Florence to give her recognition on behalf of the city. Art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect,” he said.

However, the school principal was not fired over the lesson featuring the world-renowned sculpture, according to school board Chair Barney Bishop III.

In an interview with CNN, Bishop said Carrasquilla did not follow procedure before the lesson was given to 6th graders, adding she had been told previously that the school had concerns about her leadership.

“She was not let go because of Michelangelo’s David lesson,” he insisted. “Our school is two and a half years old. Every year we show that picture in the Renaissance Art class taught to our sixth graders.”

Bishop told the network that the procedure for notifying parents of the upcoming lesson was not followed.

“We aren’t trying to ban the picture,” he said, in reference to the statue. “We think it’s beautiful, but we are going to make sure the concept of parental rights is supreme in Florida and at our charter school.”

As for Carrasquilla, she’s up for the invite, telling the Associated Press that she was “very honored” by the invitation to Italy.

Tom Tillison

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