Paly removes James Franco artwork following sex-misconduct allegations

Palo Alto High School has painted over a mural and plans to remove other campus artwork by alumnus and actor James Franco as he faces allegations of sexual misconduct.

A mural he painted on the school’s Student Center in 2014 was painted over last week, but the school did not plan to remove close to 20 paintings of his that hang in the school’s Media Arts Center. On Thursday, interim Superintendent Karen Hendricks announced, however, that the paintings will be “transitioned” out of the building.

Five women, four of whom were Franco’s acting students and a fifth who said he was her mentor, accused him of behaving inappropriately with them in a Los Angeles Times story last month, shortly after he won a Golden Globe award. Franco’s attorney denied the allegations to The Times.

On “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Franco described allegations made on social media as “not accurate” but said he would take responsibility for any wrongful behavior.

In light of the allegations, the school district “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.

Paly Principal Kim Diorio directed questions about the removal to Hendricks. She told student news outlet The Paly Voice this week that she initially decided only to remove the mural but not the paintings because it was “the most visible to the outside community.”

“These are still allegations,” Diorio told The Paly Voice. “I can’t even say it (the decision to replace the mural) is based on fact because he’s denied those allegations and hasn’t been charged with a crime.”

Paly journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki, who taught Franco and has brought him back to campus to speak to classes and for other events, said in an interview that she supported Diorio’s decision but is concerned about what are still allegations being construed as guilt.

“It’s trial by press,” she said. “They’re allegations, the press writes about it and then everyone starts to use ‘guilty’ and then they take action based on that, which I think is against the way that we do that here in the United States.”

Last week, Vanity Fair decided to digitally remove Franco from the cover of its newly released “Hollywood Issue” in response to the allegations.

Some Paly parents wrote to the school board, Hendricks and Diorio this week with concern about the initial removal of one but not all pieces of Franco’s artwork.

“This is just another instance where the words and the actions don’t match,” one parent wrote in an email to the school board, Diorio and the district’s Title IX coordinator. “PAUSD and PAHS state that they’re taking the issue of sexual assault/harassment seriously and are concerned with student safety. Yet, when there is an opportunity to act, it is delayed and incomplete.”

In a message to parents on Thursday evening, without mentioning that Franco is facing sexual-misconduct allegations, Hendricks wrote that the “decision to remove the mural, and now artwork, was not made lightly but we will always prioritize the physical and emotional well-being of our students over any other concerns.”

The school district has been grappling with concern over its handling of sexual misconduct for years, but it intensified last year with a report of a student sexual assault on campus at Paly.

Franco, a Palo Alto native who graduated from Paly in 1996, has been a presence at his alma matter over the years, including visiting to paint the mural (which is based on photos from his freshman-year yearbook) and to lead a monthslong film class for students in 2015.

The artwork was intended to be temporary and “would be respectfully returned or painted over at some point,” Hendricks said.

Paly’s Latinos Unidos group is working with student government and the Visual and Performing Arts department to come up with a new mural for the Student Center, Hendricks said.