Who is Hope Carrasquilla? Tallahassee Classical School principal forced to resign over inappropriate art lesson

Tallahassee Classical School's principal Hope Carrasquilla recently stepped down following backlash from parents over an art lesson they deemed "p*rnographic." The fiasco happened after Carrasquilla taught sixth-grade students about Renaissance art. However, some parents took issue with classic works, such as Michelangelo's David and Creation of Adam, being shown in class.

Hope Carrasquilla was forced to resign after less than a year in charge. Speaking to a local news agency, the Tallahassee Classical School’s ex-principal revealed that the school's board chair, Barney Bishop, gave her an ultimatum - resign or face termination. The same happened after the school received many complaints from the parents.

She also spoke further about Barney Bishop and claimed that he had also expressed his “displeasure” with her leadership, as parents were upset about the procedures. She said:

"He was more concerned about litigation and appeasing a small minority of parents rather than trusting my expertise as an educator for more than 25 years."

Social media users reacted to Tallahassee Classical School’s ex-principal teaching kids about world-famous art. (Image via Twitter)

The former principal of Tallahassee Classical School, Hope Carrasquilla, has over twenty years of teaching experience

Hope Carrasquilla is the former Dean of Academics at Tallahassee Classical School, Florida, who has an experience of over twenty years in the field of teaching. As per her LinkedIn profile, she has been teaching in both public and private schools for several years.

Hope Carrasquilla's LinkedIn profile also reveals that she completed her education at Florida State University in 1992, following which she completed her Master's in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education.

Apart from being the Dean of Academics at the Tallahassee school for a year and 10 months, she was previously the Dean of Students and Director of Admissions at the Christ Classical Academy for over 10 years. Apart from that, she has also been teaching in various public, private, and charter schools for over 20 years.

As for the entire fiasco of showing inappropriate images during art classes, the incident happened after Carrasquilla showed world-renowned works of art like Birth of Venus, Creation of Adam, and David, which the parents deemed inappropriate. Following this, three parents complained about the lessons, which had also upset their children.

This came a month after the school had informed the teachers that “potentially controversial” class topics should be informed to the parents beforehand, including the world-famous arts. However, due to some confusion, the letter about the controversial art lesson never reached the parents, although Hope claimed that she had drafted it herself.

The Tallahassee Classical school controversy highlights the ongoing debate around censorship and education, leaving many questioning where the line should be drawn.

As of this writing, Tallahassee Classical School hasn't released any statement regarding Hope Carrasquilla's resignation nor the recent controversy surrounding the ex-principal.