James Franco’s high school removes his art after…

James Franco’s former high school has taken down a mural he painted and plans to remove other art donated by the celebrity alumnus who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power.

Removing the artwork from Palo Alto High School is ‘in the best interests of our students in light of our educational mission,’ Superintendent Karen Hendricks said on Thursday in a statement.

The statement did not mention the scandal surrounding Franco, which the school’s newspaper reported was the reason the artwork was removed.  

A total of five women have now accused him of sexual misconduct or abuse of power, including four student-actors he worked with at Studio 4 and Playhouse West.

Franco has maintained the allegations are inaccurate. 

In this photo, taken on Tuesday, students pass under one of James Franco’s paintings displayed in the Media Arts Center at Palo Alto High

Franco graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996 and his artwork has been featured prominently there.

Campus newspaper The Paly Voice quoted Principal Kim Diorio in a story earlier this week saying she had struggled with how to handle Franco’s artistic contributions since allegations surfaced against him last month.

‘These are still allegations,’ Diorio was quoted as saying. ‘He’s denied those allegations and hasn’t been charged with a crime.’

Nonetheless, Diorio said: ‘I made the decision we’ll take down the mural.’

Franco graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996 and his artwork has been featured prominently there

Representatives for the school did not immediately return a phone message left my DailyMail.com on Thursday evening, seeking additional comment on the decision to remove Franco’s artwork

Representatives for the school did not immediately return a phone message left my DailyMail.com on Thursday evening, seeking additional comment on the decision to remove Franco’s artwork. 

The school newspaper said Franco has actively contributed to campus arts programs since graduating. 

He has returned to give interviews to student publications, taught a film workshop and in 2014 loaned several paintings to the school, the newspaper said.

The artwork was never meant to be a permanent fixture, Superintendent Karen Hendricks said on Thursday in a statement

Franco is seen here attending the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on in Los Angeles on January 21

The artwork was never meant to be a permanent fixture, the superintendent said in her statement.

‘James Franco donated multiple pieces of artwork and two murals to the Palo Alto High School campus,’ the statement said. One mural was removed in 2016.

‘The second mural was taken down last week,’ the statement said, and remaining Franco artwork is ‘now being transitioned’ off campus.

Five women accused Franco of sexual misconduct last month. 

Claims: Sarah Tither-Kaplan (left) claims a topless video of her made for Franco’s class at Studio 4 was uploaded without her prior knowledge or consent; Violet Paley (right) said Franco pressured her into performing oral sex on him while the two were in a car together, during the course of an otherwise consensual relationship

Tither-Kaplan claims that Franco removed plastic genital guards that several actresses were wearing for a nude sex scene in his film The Long Home (Tither-Kaplan circled in red on set)

The actor-director responded to the allegations on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ saying if he’s done something wrong he will fix it.   

Through his attorney, Michael Plonsker, Franco later explicitly denied allegations that emerged first on social media, and then in more detail in an article published on January 11 by The Los Angeles Times.  

Four of the accusers are former acting students of 39-year-old Franco, and claim the Oscar nominee pressured women both on set and in class to perform topless or even completely nude.

The fifth woman said Franco was a mentor to her.

Allegation: Tither-Kaplan claimed on Sunday that she was forced to do ‘exploitative’ scenes with ‘full nudity’ in two of Franco’s films while being paid just $100 (tweets above)

Franco responded to the claims that came across Twitter feeds in an interview with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, saying the allegations were inaccurate but that it’s important to listen

Disaster: Ally Sheedy went after James Franco on Twitter following his Best Actor win at the Golden Globes on Sunday (pair above in 2014 at the opening night party for The Long Shrift)

The accusations include Franco’s alleged removal of plastic guards covering female actors’ genitalia during simulated sex scenes and his becoming ‘visibly angry’ when females would not appear nude or topless.

‘I feel there was an abuse of power, and there was a culture of exploiting non-celebrity women, and a culture of women being replaceable,’ said Sarah Tither-Kaplan, one of Franco’s former acting students included in the piece by the Times.    

Students from Studio 4 said there was a feeling that small parts would be made available only to those would would agree to appear semi-nude or nude.

‘[Franco] would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts’ in his projects, Katie Ryan told the Times.

Studio 4 closed in the fall, before any of these allegations were brought to light.

Vince Jolivette, the co-owner of Rabbit Bandini which ran Studio 4, said in a statement provided by Franco’s attorney that ‘the school was always run professionally,’ that ‘instructors were excellent, [and] student feedback was positive.’

The statement also added that these complaints are ‘very inconsistent with the mission’ of the school, and are being investigated.

The allegations first started coming out on social media after Franco wore a ‘Time’s Up’ pin at the Golden Globe Awards on January 7.

The ‘Time’s Up’ movement references an organization created by leading women in politics and entertainment to provide support and a legal defense fund for women across all industries who have experienced disparity in treatment, unequal pay and harassment at work.   

After Franco spoke on stage at the Golden Globe Awards, Ally Sheedy of The Breakfast Club fame tweeted asking why Franco was ‘allowed in’ to the awards show.

She also wrote: ‘Please never ever ask me why I left the film/tv business.’

But her tweets were quickly deleted.

Then other women came forward.   

After Franco spoke at the Golden Globes, Ally Sheedy of The Breakfast Club fame tweeted asking why Franco was ‘allowed in’ to the awards show; She later deleted her tweets

Franco told Colbert on January 9: ‘The way I live my life, I can’t live if there’s restitution to be made, I will make it. So, if I’ve done something wrong, I will fix it. I have to’

Franco responded to the claims that came across Twitter feeds in an interview with Stephen Colbert on January 9, saying: ‘There were some things on Twitter… I haven’t read them. I’ve heard about them.

‘First of all, I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy. I directed her in a play off-Broadway. I had nothing but a great time with her — total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset.

‘The others, in my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I’ve done. The things I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice, because they didn’t have a voice for so long. 

‘So, I don’t want to shut them down in any way. It’s, I think, a good thing, and I support it.’

Colbert then asked Franco if he had any insight on how people should reconcile differing recollections of past experiences that they were both involved in.

‘The way I live my life, I can’t live if there’s restitution to be made, I will make it. So, if I’ve done something wrong, I will fix it. I have to,’ he said.

‘As far as the bigger issues, you know, how we do it, I really don’t have the answers, and I think the point of this whole thing is that we listen. There were incredible people talking that night. They had a lot to say, and I’m here to listen and learn and change my perspective where it’s off. I’m completely willing, and I want to.’ 

Palo Alto High School journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki, who apparently taught Franco from 1993 to 1996, reportedly told the Paly Voice: ‘I think Kim Diorio was under a lot of pressure to remove the mural and so she had to. I support her decision but I still think that we are all overreacting without giving James a chance to defend himself.’

She added: ‘Mr. Franco I think is a very caring person and he is interested in giving back to the school and education. I think there is always two sides to a story and I really don’t know his side of the story at this point.’

Wojcicki also noted that she felt people should not act in haste, and give Franco the benefit of the doubt over allegations that had not been proven as fact.

‘That’s the way it’s done in America. You aren’t guilty until you’re proven guilty,’ she reportedly said.

JAMES FRANCO SAYS HE IS NOT DENYING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS TO HELP WOMEN

James Franco spoke about the allegations being amde against him on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday (above)

Seth Meyers: I’m very glad you’re here. I want to talk about The Disaster Artist, which I loved, and want to get to the Golden Globes, but one of the things that happened at the Golden Globes – and obviously, this happened in the last couple of days before we had you booked on the show and I’m glad you’re still here. You were wearing a time’s up button like a lot of guys at the show and some women during your time on stage said that was hypocritical, they went to Twitter and said that it was hypocritical based on their experiences that they have had with you. They made some allegations. I wonder if you have read those tweets, and if so, how you respond to them?

James Franco: Yes. I was sent a couple of the tweets, so yeah, I did read them. I haven’t responded. I think, well the ones I read were not accurate, but one of the things that I’ve learned is that this is a conversation that obviously needs to be had. There are people, women and others who have not been a part of this conversation and I truly believe and why I was wearing the pin is that they need to be a part of this conversation and so I support that.

Seth: Ally Sheedy also had a tweet. She has since took it down. I heard you mention last night on Stephen Colbert’s show that you had directed her in a play. You’ve had a good experience with her. Have you reached out to her as someone, and, are you not curious as to why she would do that if you had, from your perspective, a good relationship with her?

James: Yes, I had a great relationship with her. She took the tweet down, I don’t know. I really don’t

Seth: Not curious enough though to reach out to her as someone that you’ve had a good relationship with before and to try to understand why she would have done that?

James: I don’t know. I – it was so shocking. I don’t know. I just – I guess I’m just letting it be.

Seth: The last thing I’ll say, or ask about this I should say, this moment, you know, I think this is an exciting time because it’s allowing us all remember, especially as men, that there were other people in different perspectives for things that we experienced. Does this Times Up movement and this moment we’re having right now, does it make you look back at all and question any of your behavior in the past based on this new perspective we’re getting on how women have perceived things for so long?

James: I think what I really learned and being here and this week and that show that we were you know … I mean it was so powerful in there.

Seth: That we heard some amazing things from some amazing women.

James: Like I said, there are stories that need to get out. There are people that need to be heard. I have my own side of this story, but I believe in, you know, these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will, you know, hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much. And if I have to take a knock because I’m not going to, you know, try and, you know, actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much.

Source: Late Night With Seth Meyers