AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n
Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Speakers at high school graduation ceremonies kicking off this week<\/a> will be under even more scrutiny after a recent highly publicized incident at Clayton High School.<\/p>\n Read more Charlotte doctor sentenced in Medicare fraud case involving millions<\/a><\/p>\n Leen Hijaz received national attention after Clayton High Principal Melissa Hubbard cut off her graduation speech when the senior mentioned Palestine and \u201cfamilies being torn apart by ICE,\u201d The News & Observer previously reported<\/a>. It\u2019s a reminder that high schools typically review graduation speeches ahead of time and will take action if a speaker goes off their prepared remarks.<\/p>\n In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier case<\/a> that schools can censor student speech in school-sponsored activities such as school newspapers and yearbooks. Lower courts have applied the Hazelwood decision in cases involving graduation speeches, according to Jonathan Gaston-Falk, staff attorney for the Student Press Law Center.<\/p>\n \u201cA valedictory address from a podium at an official commencement is a school-sponsored speech, and the Hazelwood decision, governs here,\u201d Gaston-Falk said in an interview with The N&O. \u201cIt lets schools exercise editorial control over style and content of students\u2019 speech, as long as their actions are reasonably related to that pesky, legitimate pedagogical concern.\u201d<\/p>\n While it\u2019s legally permitted censorship, Gaston-Falk said it\u2019s deeply unsettling for schools o silence a graduation speaker.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a microphone is cut off and remarks are halted mid-speech, I mean, many would see that as not just enforcement of a rule but suppression of a voice,\u201d Gaston-Falk said.<\/p>\n High schools typically pick multiple students to speak during graduation. The schools want to know ahead of time what the students will say.<\/p>\n \u201cStudent speakers are supported by a staff member throughout the writing process, and principals review and approve speeches prior to submission,\u201d Crystal Roberts, a spokesperson for Durham Public Schools, said in an email. \u201cFinal copies of all student speeches are submitted through the district\u2019s graduation review process prior to the ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n Similar guidance comes from Wake County, where the district tells principals they should personally review and approve any speeches or comments being made by each podium speaker.<\/p>\n Marissa Blount, 17, the student body president of Broughton High School in Raleigh, says she was initially upset when Principal Janiece Dilts told her not to talk about the deaths of her parents. But Blount said she\u2019s glad that Dilts intervened.<\/p>\n \u201cGrief is really dark, and that\u2019s not necessarily a message that I want to be pushing onto the students as they\u2019re leaving high school,\u201d Blount said in an interview. \u201cI kind of felt like thank goodness that my principal read over that before I went out there and gave some really dark speech.\u201d<\/p>\n Savannah Lange, 18, the senior class president of Garner High School, said she wasn\u2019t told to change her speech. But Lange said she\u2019s avoiding talking about politics or any other controversial subjects.<\/p>\n Hijaz\u2019 speech at Clayton High was subject to Johnston County school system rules, which say speeches are reviewed in advance \u201cto ensure the students fulfill their intended purpose for a graduation ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaston-Falk encouraged students to share online the original versions of their speeches so that people can see how much was changed by the school.<\/p>\n Depending on the school and district, deviating from the approved script can have immediate consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a student engages in behavior that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly conduct of a school activity, including a graduation ceremony, school administrators may take appropriate disciplinary action consistent with district policy,\u201d Caitlin Furr, a Wake County school spokesperson, said in an email.<\/p>\n Read more 17-year-old Manolo\u2019s Bakery team member killed in east Charlotte car crash<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSchools may hold a diploma for a period of time until school administrators have an opportunity to meet with the student and family, but the diploma cannot be permanently withheld if a student has met all of the graduation requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n Lange said she got the message when she was told about how a prior Garner High speaker had their diploma withheld.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d probably have some family that would be a little upset with me if I didn\u2019t get my diploma by graduation,\u201d Lange said in an interview. \u201cI know I probably would receive it at some point, but I just wouldn\u2019t want to take any chances after I\u2019ve been working for four years to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Blount said she was warned that behavior at graduation that doesn\u2019t match expectations will result in being removed from the stage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s implied if you don\u2019t say what\u2019s in the script, you\u2019re going to get removed,\u201d Blount said.<\/p>\n The Johnston County school system says Clayton High administrators ended Hijaz\u2019 speech to maintain the integrity and focus of the program in real time.<\/p>\n \u201cThis action was not about limiting a student\u2019s voice, but about ensuring that a school-sponsored event remained consistent with its intended purpose,\u201d the district said in a statement. \u201cJCPS respects students\u2019 rights to express their views and encourages thoughtful dialogue in appropriate settings.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure that official school events remain inclusive, respectful, and focused on celebrating all graduates.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to having her speech stopped, Hijaz didn\u2019t receive her diploma until four days after the May 28 graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n Both Blount and Lange praised Hijaz for taking a risk by speaking out at graduation. But both Wake students also said they intend to stick to their speeches at Thursday\u2019s graduation ceremonies.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I would want to go viral for that reason,\u201d Lange said. \u201cBut I think if that\u2019s something that she believes in, and she was willing to speak up for that, I think that\u2019s really brave of her to do something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Blount said the desire to speak out about what\u2019s happening in the world competes with how she doesn\u2019t want to upset the people at graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really is just a rock and a hard place, and I can\u2019t imagine the courage that that student had to go out there and say that,\u201d Blount said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 5:30 AM<\/span> with the headline “Why student free speech rights don\u2019t extend to high school graduation speakers.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n