Here's Why Petaluma High Valedictorian Says Her Speech Was Cut

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:

"We can say that when issues of sexual assault come to our attention, local law enforcement has initial jurisdiction and determines the course of action. If an alleged event happens on campus or off, we work to support our students with appropriate discipline, extensive counseling, and whatever measures we can take to protect our students while they are in our learning environment."

Image via YouTube video posted by Lulabel Seitz