A play version of "To Kill a Mockingbird" is appropriate for a Florida high school to perform, a school board ruled Wednesday, following complaints from parents over repeated use of the N-word and other sensitive topics.
MyFoxOrlando.com reports that Flagler County School Board members approved the play's production at Flagler Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast, Fla. The play was reportedly canceled two weeks ago after some parents complained about the story's controversial subject matter.
Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, published in 1960, centers around the trial of a black man who is wrongly accused of raping a white woman. The story, which takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Ala., explores themes of racial inequality.
"The committee's recommendation is that the play 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' is appropriate material for use by high school students," Flagler County Schools Superintendent, Janet Valentine, reportedly said in a statement.
Valentine had assigned a panel to discuss whether the script would be appropriate for a school play. After the board's approval, several community members voiced their support of the decision.
"It's not about the N-word. It's about education," one man reportedly said at the board meeting.
"I just think it's incumbent upon all of us as parents and grandparents to make sure we're passing on to our offspring what society was like then as compared to what it is like now," said another.
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