A Melbourne student has accused her school of "whitewashing" black history over a decision to adapt a popular musical about racial discrimination, despite having a mostly white cast.

A Year 11 student launched a petition calling on Brunswick Secondary College to dump its production of US musical Hairspray, which has been slated for the school's annual performance later this year.

A scene from Hairspray the musical. Credit:Jeff Busby

Set in Baltimore at the height of the civil rights movement in the early 1960s, Hairspray follows the story of an overweight teenage girl who chases her dream of dancing on a TV show and goes on to rally against racial segregation.

The student, who did not want to be identified, slammed her school over the controversial choice, saying Hairspray should "never have been an option" because of a lack of cultural diversity in the music department.