The teacher, identified by Fox News on Saturday as Kristin Pitzen of Newport Mesa School District in Orange County, was. A California school district is investigating a teacher who posted a now-viral video in which she joked about telling a student that he could pledge allegiance to the Pride flag. She has been removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave, as our investigation continues, Newport Mesa Schools spokesperson Annette Franco told Fox News on Wednesday. A California school district is investigating a viral video showing a high school teacher bragging about removing the American flag from her classroom and suggesting that a student pledge allegiance to the LGBTQ flag instead. Then she laughs and points her phone’s camera toward a rainbow LGBTQ flag on the wall, saying the student looked around and asked, “Oh, that one?”Īccording to district policies, each campus must display the U.S. The California teacher who said in a video she suggested her students say the Pledge of Allegiance to the gay pride flag has been removed from her classroom. One student said it was strange to have no flag to face toward, she says, so she pointed out there is a flag in the room. She explains that she took down the American flag in her room while students were learning remotely (“because it made me uncomfortable,” she whispers as an aside) and was unable to find it for the new school year. In the nearly 1-minute video reportedly posted to TikTok on Friday, the woman describes how she allows her students to decide whether to participate in the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, and that her class opted to stand for the observance, but not say the pledge.