DALLAS — The Dallas Independent School District has apologized for censoring a valedictorian's graduation speech June 1.
"Our charge is to ensure the rights of all students are respected and no one‘s rights are infringed upon," a Monday statement from the school district read. "In hindsight, we realize this decision may not have been reflective of the core values we teach our students, as we work to educate leaders of tomorrow. For that, we apologize."
On June 1, Conrad High School valedictorian Rooha Haghar said she had her microphone muted during her valedictorian speech after she mentioned the names of shooting victims Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin, according to a report form the Associated Press.
Haghar is quoted as saying in the Associated Press report that she mentioned the names of Rice, a 12-year-old shot to death by Clevelend police in 2014, and Martin, a 17-year-old shot to death by a Florida neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012, because they were of similar age and their deaths are "a reality that black families have to deal with."
"my valedictorian speech was cut short because i said the names of black children who had become victims of police brutality," Haghar tweeted June 3. "our principal signaled for my mic to be turned off as soon as i said 'trayvon martin and tamir rice' and played it off as a technical difficulty. pathetic."
In the statement released Monday, the district said that because Haghar's speech contained "other remarks that were not prepared with administration’s knowledge," her microphone was cut off.
Read the full statement from Dallas ISD below:
“It is never our intent to censor anyone’s freedom of speech. Students have that right — Dallas ISD encourages it.
It is Dallas ISD’s practice to review all valedictorian and salutatorian speeches in their entirety. The challenge the school faced in this instance was that the valedictorian chose to share other remarks that were not prepared with administration’s knowledge. As a result, the principal made the decision to limit the student’s remarks.
Our charge is to ensure the rights of all students are respected and no one‘s rights are infringed upon. In hindsight, we realize this decision may not have been reflective of the core values we teach our students, as we work to educate leaders of tomorrow. For that, we apologize.
We appreciate our parents and community members partnering with us to strengthen student voices.”
