WATERTOWN, Wis. (CBS 58) - A debate is growing in the Watertown Unified School District over a musical piece the Watertown High School band planned to play tied to LGBTQ+ history.

Students and parents are speaking out after some school board members questioned whether it belongs in an upcoming school concert.

The piece, “A Mother of a Revolution,” honors LGBTQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson.

Watertown High School senior Charlie Pliska, who plays in the school’s wind symphony band, said the discussion over removing the piece came as a surprise.

“I feel like it wasn't called for,” Charlie said.

Charlie said the band has spent weeks rehearsing the music and would be disappointed to see it removed ahead of the performance.

“There are aspects of it that are different to perform, and I feel like if we were to lose this piece a lot of that work towards a good performance would be lost and it would be disappointing,” Charlie said.

During Tuesday’s committee meeting, Watertown School Board Vice President Sam Ouweneel questioned whether the piece should be played at a school concert.

“My concern as I was reading about it is that it's described specifically as a celebration of Marsha Johnson, who was a cross-dressing prostitute who threw a brick at a police officer,” Ouweneel said.

Band director Reid LaDew pushed back on that characterization during the meeting, saying, “That is a generalization and not the whole story.”

The district says LaDew followed district policy by notifying parents about the piece and offering students the option to opt out of performing it.

Some parents are now criticizing the board’s consideration of removing the music so close to the concert date.

“Why is it suddenly in the 11th hour coming up as a controversial problem if the parents of the kids rehearsing the material didn't have a problem with it,” said Ian Pilak, a parent of a Watertown Unified student.

Pilak also said he wants the board to focus more on students’ perspectives.

“It’s the overstepping that bothers me the most,” he said. “Everybody can have opinions about things, and we can disagree on this or that, but I really would like more focus on how the kids feel.”

Charlie said the piece carries personal meaning.

“This piece means a lot to me even if it's just in the memoriam of Marsha Johnson. I am a trans person in the band and the only trans person in the band,” Charlie said.

Charlie also called the possibility of removing the piece “disrespectful.”

“It’s disrespectful to the cause and to the people like me. It’s an important history,” Charlie said.

The school board is expected to hold a special meeting next week to make a final decision. CBS 58 reached out to the board for comment, but members said there would be no further comment until after the meeting.