Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David

essentialsaltes · Mar 23, 2023

Florida Charter School Principal fired after not warning parents in advance 6th grade class would see Michelangelo's David

Warning: article contains full frontal statuary!

Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David

A parent called the lesson ‘pornographic’

The former principal explained that the school is required by law to teach lessons on Renaissance art to sixth-graders — typically 11 and 12-year-old children — as a small portion of the annual curriculum. She said that three parents complained that their children were made uncomfortable by the lesson, which included a section on Michelangelo’s David.

The school board enacted a rule two months ago requiring parental notification two weeks before the teaching of any "potentially controversial" information. [through miscommunication, this advance warning was not given.]

[another parent was concerned] there may be a "paradigm shift" at the school, noting an increase in non-secular language.

[The school chair who fired the teacher] is a lobbyist and has embraced Governor Ron DeSantis' educational agenda with enthusiasm, noting that Tallahassee Classical would be on the "cutting edge" of adopting the state's rules.

“We agree with everything the governor is doing in the educational arena. We support him because he’s right,” Mr Bishop said. “The whole woke indoctrination going on about pronouns and drag queens isn’t appropriate in school."

rambot · Mar 23, 2023

See??????

This is the kind of garbage I'm talking about on another thread. This whole concept of what is "indecent" or "obscene" is freaking absurd. And you'll talk to people and say "Well obviously a reasonable person will think 'x'".....that's the point.

There are many unreasonable people.

If a grade 6 student sees David and was ACTUALLY "uncomfortable", that parent is truly messing up their kids.

PsaltiChrysostom · Mar 23, 2023

Larniavc · Mar 23, 2023

essentialsaltes said:
Warning: article contains full frontal statuary!

Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David
A parent called the lesson ‘inappropriate contentographic’

The former principal explained that the school is required by law to teach lessons on Renaissance art to sixth-graders — typically 11 and 12-year-old children — as a small portion of the annual curriculum. She said that three parents complained that their children were made uncomfortable by the lesson, which included a section on Michelangelo’s David.

The school board enacted a rule two months ago requiring parental notification two weeks before the teaching of any "potentially controversial" information. [through miscommunication, this advance warning was not given.]

[another parent was concerned] there may be a "paradigm shift" at the school, noting an increase in non-secular language.

[The school chair who fired the teacher] is a lobbyist and has embraced Governor Ron DeSantis' educational agenda with enthusiasm, noting that Tallahassee Classical would be on the "cutting edge" of adopting the state's rules.

“We agree with everything the governor is doing in the educational arena. We support him because he’s right,” Mr Bishop said. “The whole woke indoctrination going on about pronouns and drag queens isn’t appropriate in school."

Michelangelo's David is woke? When did the Taliban take control of Florida?

pgp_protector · Mar 23, 2023

PsaltiChrysostom said:
View attachment 329329

Why are they touching themselves?

Desk trauma · Mar 23, 2023

Another Simpsons plot made flesh.

rjs330 · Mar 23, 2023

essentialsaltes said:
Warning: article contains full frontal statuary!

Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David
A parent called the lesson ‘inappropriate contentographic’

The former principal explained that the school is required by law to teach lessons on Renaissance art to sixth-graders — typically 11 and 12-year-old children — as a small portion of the annual curriculum. She said that three parents complained that their children were made uncomfortable by the lesson, which included a section on Michelangelo’s David.

The school board enacted a rule two months ago requiring parental notification two weeks before the teaching of any "potentially controversial" information. [through miscommunication, this advance warning was not given.]

[another parent was concerned] there may be a "paradigm shift" at the school, noting an increase in non-secular language.

[The school chair who fired the teacher] is a lobbyist and has embraced Governor Ron DeSantis' educational agenda with enthusiasm, noting that Tallahassee Classical would be on the "cutting edge" of adopting the state's rules.

“We agree with everything the governor is doing in the educational arena. We support him because he’s right,” Mr Bishop said. “The whole woke indoctrination going on about pronouns and drag queens isn’t appropriate in school."

Sounds like the principal may have a legitimate wrongful termination suit.

Parents have a right to complain and should have a right to not have their kids participate in classes they don't want them to. That's okay.

If parents don't want their kids looking at naked statues, I'm okay with that.

But the statue does not fit the definition of obscene or sexually explicit.

Pommer · Mar 24, 2023

If only it had been Donatello’s (bronze) David!
The violence would have almost completely negated the pronography of the piece!

RestoreTheJoy · Mar 24, 2023

essentialsaltes said:
Warning: article contains full frontal statuary!

Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David
A parent called the lesson ‘inappropriate contentographic’

The former principal explained that the school is required by law to teach lessons on Renaissance art to sixth-graders — typically 11 and 12-year-old children — as a small portion of the annual curriculum. She said that three parents complained that their children were made uncomfortable by the lesson, which included a section on Michelangelo’s David.

The school board enacted a rule two months ago requiring parental notification two weeks before the teaching of any "potentially controversial" information. [through miscommunication, this advance warning was not given.]

[another parent was concerned] there may be a "paradigm shift" at the school, noting an increase in non-secular language.

[The school chair who fired the teacher] is a lobbyist and has embraced Governor Ron DeSantis' educational agenda with enthusiasm, noting that Tallahassee Classical would be on the "cutting edge" of adopting the state's rules.

“We agree with everything the governor is doing in the educational arena. We support him because he’s right,” Mr Bishop said. “The whole woke indoctrination going on about pronouns and drag queens isn’t appropriate in school."

This isn't the full story, as usual, as initially reported by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. What actually happened is ONE parent complained about the statue specifically, a couple others complained that a process to notify parents was not followed, AND there had already been other issues with this principal.

From an interview with the chair of the school board (full transcript included):

"But this wasn’t about that one issue. That’s not the entire truth, and she knows it. The fact is, I have been working with her since she became principal, and I have supported her as principal. But as I saw how things were going, how decisions were being made, I made the decision this was the best thing for the school.

You’re saying this wasn’t about an art teacher showing Michelangelo’s David.

We didn’t even discuss that issue at the special board meeting on Monday morning."

An Interview With the School Board Chair Who Forced Out a Principal After Michelangelo’s David Was Shown in Class

"Well, we’re Florida, OK?"

slate.com

keith99 · Mar 24, 2023

Pommer said:
If only it had been Donatello’s (bronze) David!
The violence would have almost completely negated the pronography of the piece!

That points out what scares me. Yesterday I watched Gangs on New York. I can so easily picture complaints about the breasts that get shown while ignoring the gruesome (though not gratuitous) violence.

essentialsaltes · Mar 24, 2023

essentialsaltes said:
[another parent was concerned] there may be a "paradigm shift" at the school, noting an increase in non-secular language.

From RtJ's slate link:

Just to be clear, last year you sent a notice to parents warning them that students were going to see Michelangelo’s David?

Yes. This year, we made an egregious mistake. We didn’t send that notice. Look, we’re not a public school. We’re a public charter. Parents, after they saw all the crap that’s being taught in public schools during COVID, decided of their own that they didn’t want their children to be taught that. Here we teach the Hillsdale Curriculum, focusing on civic and moral values.

--

DeSantis has signalled his interest in remaking Florida schools in the image of Christian Hillsdale College.

rjs330 · Mar 25, 2023

RestoreTheJoy said:
This isn't the full story, as usual, as initially reported by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. What actually happened is ONE parent complained about the statue specifically, a couple others complained that a process to notify parents was not followed, AND there had already been other issues with this principal.

From an interview with the chair of the school board (full transcript included):

"But this wasn’t about that one issue. That’s not the entire truth, and she knows it. The fact is, I have been working with her since she became principal, and I have supported her as principal. But as I saw how things were going, how decisions were being made, I made the decision this was the best thing for the school.

You’re saying this wasn’t about an art teacher showing Michelangelo’s David.

We didn’t even discuss that issue at the special board meeting on Monday morning."

An Interview With the School Board Chair Who Forced Out a Principal After Michelangelo’s David Was Shown in Class

"Well, we’re Florida, OK?"

slate.com

Thanks for sharing that. I'm not sure how often we have to get bamboozled by some democrat rag before we figure it out. I wondered if there was more to this story and that why I mentioned the wrongful termination suit. If it was as egregious as made out it should be a slam dunk. But obviously it wasn't. The libs are just too much.

keith99 · Mar 25, 2023

Anyone else see the absurdity of complaining about Michelangelo's David in a charter school dedicated to classics?

Pommer · Mar 25, 2023

“You should have sent notifications to parents” shouldn’t have ended this person’s job.

Pommer · Mar 25, 2023

keith99 said:
Anyone else see the absurdity of complaining about Michelangelo's David in a charter school dedicated to classics?

Not those “classics”; like, you know the Flintstones where Fred & Barney don’t do “drag”.

keith99 · Mar 25, 2023

Pommer said:
Not those “classics”; like, you know the Flintstones where Fred & Barney don’t do “drag”.

And definitely not Shakespeare! I recently went to a production of Much Adu about Nothing and there were several instances of someone in drag. Even more of it in the 1935 movie.

I do not think of 1935 as being all that sexually liberal, but perhaps people were less foolish then.

Shemjaza · Mar 26, 2023

RestoreTheJoy said:
This isn't the full story, as usual, as initially reported by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. What actually happened is ONE parent complained about the statue specifically, a couple others complained that a process to notify parents was not followed, AND there had already been other issues with this principal.

From an interview with the chair of the school board (full transcript included):

"But this wasn’t about that one issue. That’s not the entire truth, and she knows it. The fact is, I have been working with her since she became principal, and I have supported her as principal. But as I saw how things were going, how decisions were being made, I made the decision this was the best thing for the school.

You’re saying this wasn’t about an art teacher showing Michelangelo’s David.

We didn’t even discuss that issue at the special board meeting on Monday morning."

An Interview With the School Board Chair Who Forced Out a Principal After Michelangelo’s David Was Shown in Class

"Well, we’re Florida, OK?"

slate.com

That's remarkably non specific.

They still seem to be implying that Michelangelo's David is the sort of thing that requires specific parental notification... which I would have assumed was ridiculous.

pgp_protector · Mar 26, 2023

Pommer said:
Not those “classics”; like, you know the Flintstones where Fred & Barney don’t do “drag”.

But they did

comana · Mar 26, 2023

When this type of art was contemporary children somehow managed to coexist with it and not be harmed.

rjs330 · Mar 26, 2023

Pommer said:
“You should have sent notifications to parents” shouldn’t have ended this person’s job.

Good thing that wasn't the reason then.

As I said in the Tallahassee Democrat, based on counsel from our employment lawyer, I’m not going to get into the reasons. But this wasn’t about that one issue. That’s not the entire truth, and she knows it. The fact is, I have been working with her since she became principal, and I have supported her as principal. But as I saw how things were going, how decisions were being made, I made the decision this was the best thing for the school.

Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David

Fact-Based Lifeform