School Admins Question Use Of Swastika In Production Of 'The Sound Of Music'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A high school rendition of one of the world's most famous musicals is brewing up a brand new of controversy.
Parents and administrators are now going back and forth over the use of Nazi symbols and regalia in "The Sound of Music," reports CBS2's Scott Rappoport.
The story centers around the Von Trapp family from Austria fleeing from the Third Reich, based on the memoirs of the people who lived through it.
When Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts planned to put on a production of the show, there was excitement and controversy.
Parents of students here tell us the principal raised concerns about using of some Nazi props and symbols from the show including a swastika, saying they were hateful and inappropriate.
The students couldn't believe it, saying those symbols were part and parcel about what "The Sound of Music" was all about - part of the history of the movie, a family escaping from the Nazis.
"Many of the children believe the play is historically accurate," said parent Diana Coseglia-Danna. "To depict the actual fear of the Nazis that time frame, that symbol folks that fear. And that's part of the play."
A source from the New York City Department of Education tells us the Nazi symbols were never banned, but there was a discussion about whether they should be used during pre-show planning and again at a parents' association meeting on Tuesday.
Parents told the principal it was important for the swastika to be used as a part of history.
Ultimately, the show premiered last night and in a compromise, the swastika was used in two key scenes.