When a California teacher replaced the American flag pledge with one to a Pride flag, it cost her job—and spotlighted the ideological rifts in U.S. schools. Kristin Pitzen, who filmed the 2021 incident for TikTok, told students they could opt out of reciting the traditional pledge but pointed to her Pride flag as an alternative. The video drew backlash, prompting her district to remove her from the classroom for undermining “important values.”
Pitzen defended her actions, saying the U.S. flag made her “uncomfortable” and had been removed during pandemic disruptions. Meanwhile, red-state leaders are pushing back against progressive symbolism: Oklahoma now requires Bible lessons, while Louisiana classrooms must display the Ten Commandments.
The fallout from Pitzen’s dismissal reveals a nation grappling with whose symbols belong in schools—and who gets to decide.
