As it happens I had a chance encounter with our school's drama teacher. So I asked. She decides what plays to perform, BUT she discusses the choice with the principal and sometimes the superintendent. And she has been asked not to perform certain plays for a variety of reasons.Approval policy would depend on the district. I would've thought most districts do have to approve, but when you go the national school board conference you're amazed at how differently BOE's across the country do things.
When I was a board member, IIR the annual musical was an agenda item for approval each year. The musical was almost always the "safe" and traditional ones we were familiar with. We had the agenda ahead of time, so I"m sure one of us would have asked about an unfamiliar production, especially a modern with more modern language.
Yep, same thing when our school did Grease. I was aware that the Broadway version was a lot racier than the film, but the director told us he specifically got the safer version. I'm sure the kids understood the innuendos, but it still passed muster.
I'd heard of the Spelling Bee thingy last year. Sounded interesting at first, than I learned it had some gratuitious crudity in there just because the writers thought it would be fun. Kinda like a Seth Rogan flick, I guess. If that had come up for approval, I'd definitely question it first.
As you know, school administrators do not like surprises and try to avoid angering the voting pubic.
I'm guessing the administration did not know what was in the play, and didn't like it when "concerned citizens" informed them.