“A California teacher was fired for forcing students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to an LGBTQ+ pride flag.”

The claim circulating on social media in late 2026 misrepresents an event from August 2021. In that incident, Kristin Pitzen, a teacher in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, posted a video on TikTok stating she had removed the American flag from her classroom because it made her 'uncomfortable.' When a student asked about the Pledge of Allegiance, she suggested they could pledge to a Progress Pride flag hanging in the room. The school district subsequently placed her on administrative leave pending an investigation. There is no evidence that she 'forced' students to recite the pledge to the pride flag; rather, she offered it as an alternative in a classroom where the American flag was absent. Additionally, the claim that she was 'recently fired' in 2026 is false, as the event occurred five years prior, and the district did not publicly confirm whether she was terminated or resigned following the investigation.