James Franco’s high school to remove all his artwork after allegations

A mural James Franco painted for his alma mater, Palo Alto High, in 2014 has been painted over, and paintings he donated to the school are to be removed. A mural James Franco painted for his alma mater, Palo Alto High, in 2014 has been painted over, and paintings he donated to the school are to be removed. Photo: Courtesy Of The Campanile, Palo Alto High School Photo: Courtesy Of The Campanile, Palo Alto High School Image 1 of / 57 Caption Close James Franco’s high school to remove all his artwork after allegations 1 / 57 Back to Gallery

Accusations of sexual misconduct against James Franco have led Palo Alto High School to distance itself from the the 1996 graduate who won a Golden Globe last month for his lead role in the movie “The Disaster Artist.”

Students and teachers have spent this week debating their principal’s decision on Monday to paint over a mural by Franco. He painted two murals for the school and loaned multiple paintings to its Media Arts Center when it opened in 2014.

On Thursday, Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Karen Hendricks announced that the rest of Franco’s artwork would be “transitioned” out.

“District staff recently considered the best interests of our students in the light of our educational mission, and decided to remove and return the remaining artwork,” Hendricks said in a statement.

Esther Wojcicki, who taught Franco at Palo Alto High and does not support the removal of the paintings, said she believed Principal Kimberly Diorio and administrators were responding to “pressure” from parents.

“The question is, and one of the kids asked this: How does it impact students to look at this art?” Wojcicki said. “A hundred years ago, 50 years ago, a lot of artists could have been accused of the same things Franco is. Do we take down all the art in the Louvre or in the MoMA?”

As the #MeToo movement calls attention to sexual assault, harassment and misogyny, critics and consumers have struggled with how to treat the art of men accused of sexual harassment and assault. But it’s rare for a high school to find itself navigating these questions head-on.

John Loftus, a Palo Alto High senior, said he believes in “separating the art from the artist” and hoped the school would keep the paintings.

Tess Manjarrez, a junior, said she never liked the paintings for aesthetic reasons.

“They’re very dark and gloomy,” she said. “When the allegations against Franco surfaced, that seemed like more of a reason to take them down.”

Diorio initially told the Paly Voice, one of the high school’s student publications, that she planned to leave the paintings hanging for the time being. She did not respond to The Chronicle’s requests for comment.

While the school’s newspaper has been active in reporting on Franco’s artwork, students and teachers said there have been no public forums or assemblies to share their opinions about the removal of the mural and paintings.

“I think there should be a platform for students and all members of the community to share their opinions,” Loftus said. “That would be more effective than rushing and taking (the mural) down. There should be some kind of dialogue.”

A publicist for Franco did not respond to requests for comment on the artworks’ removal.

Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney