Schools Here's Why Petaluma High Valedictorian Says Her Speech Was Cut Lulabel Seitz was mid-speech when the sound to her mic was cut. She takes to YouTube to finish what she had to say about a sexual assault. Reply PETALUMA, CA — When the valedictorian of Petaluma High School's Class of 2018 was apparently cut off mid-speech, the future Stanford student took to YouTube to finish what she had to say. Video taken by an audience member portrays Lulabel Seitz as she begins her June 2 commencement address, sharing that as the granddaughter of Filipino immigrants and the daughter of parents who did not graduate high school, the odds were stacked against her. She goes on to say that despite adversity faced by she and her classmates, such as the October 2017 wildfires, the Class of 2018 prevailed. However, about 4 minutes into her speech as she is seguing into another example of hardships faced by she and her classmates, the sound to her microphone appears to stop working. In an "uncensored" June 3 YouTube version of her speech, Seitz picks up where she left off: "... And even on a campus in which some people defend perpetrators of sexual assault and silence the victims, we didn't let that drag us down." "The Petaluma High School administration infringed on my freedom of speech, and prevented a whole graduating class from having their message delivered," Seitz wrote in a description for her YouTube post. "For weeks, they have threatened me against 'speaking against them' in my speech. Sometimes we know what's right and have to do it despite the threats. Watch the whole uncensored version here as well as the aftermath of them cutting my mic!" Monday morning, the video had 271,000 views and was being shared by media outlets nationwide. Seitz alleges she was sexually assaulted on campus and that although she made formal complaints, no action was taken by administrators. Patch was not able to immediately reach Petaluma High School Principal David Stirrat for comment Monday morning. CNN's coverage includes this statement from Petaluma City Schools obtained by KPIX:<doc-sep>The valedictorian of a California high school says school officials cut off her microphone during her graduation speech after the 17-year-old senior veered from the administration's preapproved script. Petaluma High School senior Lulabel Seitz began her commencement address by talking about the obstacles her fellow classmates persevered through in order to graduate. She noted the devastating wildfires in Northern California and being in school during a teacher strikes. Seitz then started talking about a personal struggle: she had been sexually assaulted on campus, she says, and the school did nothing about it. That's when someone pulled the plug on her microphone. "We are not too young to speak up, to dream and to create change, which is why when some people on this campus, those same people ..." Seitz is heard saying before her microphone abruptly cuts off. When her classmates realized what was happening, they stood up, cheered and began chanting "Let her speak." Students clapped in support as she returned to her seat during the June 2 ceremony on the school football field. Seitz said later that she was "unfairly cut off" for trying to address the silencing of victims of sexual assault, though officials said all speakers had been warned the microphone would be muted if they went off message. Principal David Stirrat said the school had been tipped off in advance that Seitz might deviate from her approved remarks. Seitz said the school administration feared the truth. She posted a video on YouTube of her interrupted speech and added an uncensored version of the full speech she tried to deliver. In the expanded version, she said students hadn't let it drag them down when some on campus "defend perpetrators of sexual assault and silence their victims." Seitz said she was sexually assaulted on campus by someone she knew and wanted to show frustration for a lack of action by the school. "The person didn’t get any consequences, and he was even there at graduation watching me give my speech," she said. "And that’s just not fair to girls." District officials did not respond to NBC Bay Area's request for comment. The school district told The Press Democrat they couldn’t comment on the alleged sexual assault, citing student privacy laws. Legal experts were split on whether the school had the right to stop the speech. Seitz has a strong case for challenging, they said, especially because she was not using obscenities or disrupting the crowd. Seitz, whose grandparents immigrated from the Philippines, is the first member of her family to graduate from high school. She will attend Stanford University.<doc-sep>According to the version of the speech that she read later and posted to YouTube, Seitz planned to say: “And even learning on a campus in which some people defend perpetrators of sexual assault and silence their victims, we didn’t let that drag us down. The class of 2018 has demonstrated time and time again that we may be a new generation but we are not too young to speak up, to dream, and to create change.”<doc-sep>
A Northern California valedictorian's speech was abruptly cut off at a North Bay high school because she veered from the school administration's approved script. Lulabel Seitz's speech on the Petaluma High football field June 2 started simply: "We’re all here today, and we’re graduating." Seitz, who is headed to Stanford University in the fall, spoke of the struggles the senior class had been through together then began talking about a personal struggle: she had been sexually assaulted on campus, she says, and the school did nothing about it. That's when someone pulled the plug on her microphone. She then spoke of what they’ve been through: " ... for instance, the fires, which caused many of us to lose our homes and miss school. We didn’t let that drag us down." Later, she started to veer: "We are not too young to speak up, to dream and to create change, which is why when some people on this campus, those same people ..." The mic then cuts off. When her classmates realized what was happening, they began chanting, "Let her speak!" Seitz later finished her speech online. Here's what Seitz was going to say: "Even learning on a campus in which some people defend perpetrators of sexual assault and silence their victims. We didn’t let that drag us down." Seitz explained her motive. "The person didn’t get any consequences, and he was even there at graduation watching me give my speech," she said. "And that’s just not fair to girls." Principal David Stirrat said the school had been tipped off in advance that Seitz might deviate from her approved remarks. Legal experts were split on whether the school had the right to stop the speech. Seitz has a strong case for challenging, they said, especially because she was not using obscenities or disrupting the crowd. Seitz, 17, whose grandparents immigrated from the Philippines, is the first member of her family to graduate from high school. She said she just wants the school to do more for its students.