After a barrage of criticism, the Deer Park, N.Y., school board has opted to allow the staging of a “new and sanitized” version of a controversial school variety show it initially cancelled, according to Newsday. The board has also reached an unspecified agreement with the teacher who was in charge of the show.
Jennifer Barrios writes in “Crowd Supports Deer Park Teacher Over Show” that students and parents turned up in force at an April 24 board meeting to support teacher Alex Mesimeris, who was pulled from his teaching duties and assigned administrative tasks after the variety show was performed on April 20.
School officials cancelled what was to be a second performance “because of sexually suggestive language, inappropriate racial humor and a video parody” of school violence deemed insensitive in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, Barrios writes.
Deer Park Superintendent Elizabeth Marino says the edited show “will allow the wonderful acts that were supposed to on Saturday night to go on” with a new performance in May. The superintendent also said the district would hold Deer Park High School officials responsible for the content of the initial variety show. The school’s principal has apologized publicly. The students involved in the show have also apologized.