The mayor of Florence, Italy, Dario Nardella, declared on social media today that he was going to invite a Florida school principal to his city to receive an award, after she was forced to resign for exposing sixth graders to Michelangelo’s David.
One of the most important works of classical art, the David is displayed in Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, drawing more than a million visitors every year. This is the second time mayor Nardella has made a splash on social media in as many weeks, after a video of him stopping an environmental activist from defacing the Palazzo Vecchio went viral on March 19th.
Hope Carrasquilla, the now-former principal of the Tallahassee Classical School, showed the David to a class of sixth graders as part of a class on classical art. All of three parents complained, one of whom called the masterpiece “pornographic,” and the school’s board soon called for Carrasquilla’s resignation. “Confusing art for pornography is ridiculous,” declared mayor Nardella on Instagram in response. “Art is a pillar of human society, and those who teach it deserve respect.”
Italians and Americans alike took to the comments section of Nardella’s post to express approval for his idea, as well as shock and dismay at the situation. “I live here in Florence now and was a teacher for 40 years in the US! I am deeply embarrassed by the actions and shallow thoughts of the administration and education system in Florida!” read one comment.
One Italian commenter took the opportunity to note a deeply bitter irony in American culture: “A country of infinite contradictions that censors art but doesn’t prohibit the sale of firearms. Way to go!” Another Italian comment suggested a compassionate (if not realistically feasible) response: “it would be better to sponsor a trip to Florence for the students, parents, and that self-righteous school’s board. They need to learn a bit about real culture, incomparable beauty, and fantastic dinners.”
ANSA/MASSIMO PERCOSSI
Florida has encouraged this kind of parental check on school programs through the Parental Rights in Education act (commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill) passed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis last year, which prohibits the discussion or instruction of LGBTQ+ issues and gender identity in schools, and empowers parents to issue complaints or file lawsuits regarding elements of school curriculum that they feel does so. The law explicitly prohibits such instruction to children between kindergarten and grade 3, but extends to any content that is not deemed “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance state standards.”
Many legal experts have noted that the language is so broad that most challenges to curricula are likely to stand, and the bill has already provoked changes in certain Florida school districts. In January, Lake County school district banned the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three”, a true story about two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo that adopted an orphaned penguin chick.
Tallahassee Classical School is a public charter school, and thus technically does not fall under the purview of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, but it is linked with conservative political causes. Until late 2022, the school was part of a vast network of charters run by Hillsdale College, a small Christian college out of southern Michigan that has pledged to fight “leftist academics.” While Tallahassee Classical School has since lost their affiliation by not implementing a variety of Hillsdale’s “recommendations,” they still teach a curriculum provided by Hillsdale. The sixth grade art curriculum for this year included the Renaissance.
