- A Florida principal was forced to resign in March after showing middle schoolers images of Michelangelo's David.
- Hope Carrasquilla said the Leon County School Board gave her an ultimatum to resign or be fired.
A Florida principal who was forced to resign after parents complained that the images she showed to sixth graders of Michelangelo's David were "pornographic," got to see the sculpture for herself in Italy this week.
Hope Carrasquilla resigned from her position as principal at Tallahassee Classical School in March. She said the Leon County School Board gave her an ultimatum to resign or be fired, according to The Washington Post.
School board chair Barney Bishop told the outlet that three parents had filed complaints regarding the lesson.
"She wasn't let go because of the artistic nude pictures. We show it every year to our students," Bishop told The Post. "The problem with this particular issue was the lack of follow-through on the process."
In the aftermath of the viral story, the mayor of Florence — where David is now on display — invited the ousted teacher and her students to visit. Now free from the constraints of a middle school schedule, Carrasquilla took them up on the invite. She saw the iconic David statue in person on Friday.
Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Accademia Gallery, said that Carrasquilla and her family were an "immense pleasure" to host.
"I am happy to be able to welcome her and introduce her to the beauties of our museum, besides showing her the David, a sculpture that, I repeat as I have said, has nothing to do with pornography,″ Hollberg said in a statement. "It's a masterpiece, it represents a religious symbol of purity and innocence, the victory of good over evil."
The gallery did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Saturday.
Hollberg added that more than 50% of the gallery's visitors come from the United States and that David's nudity "is a clear expression of the Renaissance, which puts man at the center of attention."
"I am sure that Mrs. Carrasquilla will find here, in Florence, the welcome and the solidarity that she deserves,″ Hollberg said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.