A high school history teacher from North Carolina in the United States has sparked widespread controversy after he allegedly stomped on an American flag during a lesson about the First Amendment.

Lee Francis was teaching his class at Massey Hill Classical High School in Fayetteville about a Supreme Court ruling protecting flag burning as a freedom of symbolic speech when the incident occurred.

The First Amendment in the US constitution guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly and the right to petition.

But in a patriotic country like the United States, which holds its flag in high regard, any form of flag desecration is held to be morally abhorrent.

In teaching his class about the amendment's guarantee for freedom of expression, Mr Francis told CBS his actions were in context.

"I put it on the ground and I used my right foot and I took two steps on it, and immediately two kids get out of the room," he told CBS.

One student in Mr Francis' class took a photo of the demonstration and it was later uploaded to Facebook by her mother, Sara Taylor.

"The new history teacher there [Mr Francis] asked students if they had a lighter ... then when there was no lighter he asked for scissors. When there were no scissors he took the flag and stomped all over it," the post said.

The incident ruffled a few feathers, with parents, staff and the public weighing in on Mr Francis' actions.

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The school announced on Saturday that the history teacher would be suspended for 10 days without pay.

Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr Frank Till said in a statement on Friday that Mr Francis would face disciplinary action.

"Mr Lee Francis taught a lesson on the First Amendment by stepping on an American Flag. As I have already stated, this was inappropriate in our schools," the statement said.

Despite the Cumberland County District Attorney determining there was no criminal violation, Mr Till said the teacher's actions were "inappropriate" and that he should be disciplined based on violation of policy.

"As former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr once said: 'Freedom of speech does not allow you to yell fire in a crowded theatre'," the statement said.

The statement also criticised Mr Francis for talking to the media about the incident.