WASHINGTON (SBG) – A Costa Mesa, Calif. school teacher is under investigation by the school district after posting a TikTok video saying she told students in her classroom they could pledge allegiance to the pride flag. The teacher is now off the job on administrative leave pending a school district investigation.

In a video posted to TikTok last week, the teacher, identified by Los Angeles media outlets as Kristen Pitzen, said she told her students “stand if you feel like it, don’t stand if you feel like it” during the school’s Pledge of Allegiance.

But in the video she goes on to point out she removed the American flag from her classroom during COVID because “it made me uncomfortable”, she said in a whispering tone. She said in the video she had not found where she placed the American flag after removing it.

In the video she says when a student pointed out that they were standing to pledge allegiance to the American flag but that there was no American flag in her classroom, she told that student, “We do have a flag in the class that you can pledge your allegiance to.” She said the student pointed to the gay pride flag which remained posted in her room and said, “Oh, that one?”