A California teacher is currently under investigation for reportedly saying she took down the US flag in her classroom and suggested that students pledge allegiance to a gay pride flag instead, according to district officials.
The teacher, named in reports as Kristin Pitzen, mentioned in a video shared Friday on Twitter by “Libs of TikTok” that her students have choices when it comes to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance during her third-period English class.
“I always tell my class, stand if you feel like it, don’t stand if you feel like it, say the words if you want, you don’t have to say the words,” Pitzen said in the viral TikTok post. “So my class decided to stand, but not say the words. Totally fine.”
However, this became an issue because there was no US flag in the classroom, which Pitzen said she removed during the pandemic since it made her “feel uncomfortable,” as she whispered in the clip.
“I packed it away and I don’t know where, and I haven’t found it yet,” Pitzen said with a laugh. “But my kid today goes, ‘Hey, um, it’s kinda weird that we just stand and then, you know, we say it to nothing.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh well, you know, I gotta find it, like, I’m working on it, I got you.’”
Pitzen then shook her head and mentioned that she told the student there was indeed a flag in the classroom that he could “pledge [his] allegiance to,” before shifting the camera to a gay pride banner on the wall.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District released a statement on Saturday indicating that one of its teachers was being investigated over the controversial video.
“Showing respect for our nation’s flag is an important value our district instills in our students and is an expectation of our employees,” district officials stated. “We take this matter seriously and are investigating and addressing it.”
District spokeswoman Annette Franco declined to name the teacher when contacted by The Post early Monday.
“We take matters like this seriously and are taking action to address it,” Franco wrote in an email. “No further information at this time.”
Meanwhile, Pitzen was identified by Fox News on Sunday as the educator who shared the clip. She has since taken down the original TikTok video from her account, where only one post remained as of Monday.
“The American flag makes me feel uncomfortable,” she wrote in text on the silent 10-second post.
A message left on a phone associated with Pitzen in Long Beach had not been returned as of Monday. In an earlier video shared by the “Libs of TikTok” Twitter account, Pitzen displayed numerous gay pride banners in her classroom during Pride Month, while wearing rainbow suspenders and earrings.
“I’ll never not be awkward, that’s fun for me,” Pitzen said during her self-guided classroom tour. “Happy Pride, everyone, it’s June 1, the start of Pride Month, here’s what I got going in my classroom … I pledge allegiance to the queers.”