"Okay, so during third period, we have announcements and they do the pledge of allegiance. The California teacher reiterated the same statement in her video, saying that she lets students decide to do what they want for the daily pledge of allegiance. But students may choose not to join in the flag salute for personal reasons. The school district's policy requires that each school conducts daily patriotic exercises, including the pledge of allegiance to express patriotism and pride in the U.S., NBC Los Angeles reported. In the viral video, she said she had taken down the American flag in her classroom because it made her feel "uncomfortable" and told her student to place their allegiance on the pride flag instead. The administrative leave and removal from the class stemmed from Pitzen's TikTok video, which is now deleted. READ NEXT: Arizona Governor Offers Cash Grants to Schools, Parents Rejecting Mask Mandates Viral TikTok Video Shows California Teacher Urges Students to Swear Allegiance on Pride Flag
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The California teacher in the viral TikTok video was identified as Kristin Pitzen of Newport Mesa Schools in Orange County. Newport Mesa Schools spokesperson Annette Franco confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that the teacher has been removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave.įranco added that investigation regarding the matter continues, and the teacher will not be allowed to teach students while officials continue to investigate.
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A California teacher who went viral in Tiktok after bragging in a video that she took down an American flag and told her students they could instead pledge allegiance to a pride flag has been placed on administrative leave.