A Southern California teacher is in the hot seat for suggesting her students pledge allegiance to the Pride flag ... instead of the American flag.
The lady's name is Kristin Pitzen, and she works for the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County -- which can lean pretty conservative compared to L.A. To that point, she apparently pissed off a lot of parents and Twitter users over this video she posted.
Check it out ... Pitzen says she packed away the U.S. flag in her classroom during COVID -- because it made her uncomfortable -- and hasn't been able to find it (nor does she seem to want to). The lady's giggling through her story pretty much the whole way through.
Meet Kristin Pitzen, the "teacher" who teaches her students that its OKAY to say the pledge to the Pride flag....instead of the American Flag because it makes her uncomfortable. https://t.co/1bB0mPUeY1 pic.twitter.com/ahlgHntPbO
— ApoplecticAmerican (@ApoplecticAmer1) August 28, 2021
Fast-forward to the 2021 school year, where she says some students -- at least those who've chosen to partake, that is -- have asked what they're supposed to pledge allegiance to during the morning announcements ... seeing how Pitzen still hasn't gotten Old Glory back up yet.
She jokingly says she told one of the students who asked her that ... well, there's one flag they could pledge to if they wanted -- and pans to the rainbow flag behind her.
The video has reportedly triggered outrage in the community for a variety of reasons -- some feel like she's "indoctrinating" their children while others feel she was just outright disrespectful to the flag and the U.S. by extension ... especially hurtful during this Afghanistan moment.
I hope Kristin Pitzen of Newport Mesa School District is watching the Dignified Transfer of our dead servicemen and servicewomen. But perhaps she’s uncomfortable with so many USA flags.
— Michael O'Neill (@MichaelJONeill) August 29, 2021
The district says they're investigating and will be "taking action" -- as they pride themselves in teaching patriotism -- but it's honestly unclear what, if anything, they'll actually do to her.