A Nov. 12 opening had been planned for the production of the play, based on Harper Lee's classic novel about a white Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape during the Depression.
The school's principal, Jacob Oliva, told the Herald that he had been receiving complaints from parents, students and members of the community beginning in the third week of rehearsals.
The school's theatre director Ed Koczergo said the language could not be taken out of the script due to copyright laws. Principal Oliva said community members would not be able to discuss the controversial material at the play in the same way students do in class. Most ninth graders in Flagler County read Harper Lee's novel as part of their class work.