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The Middletown school district has ordered two signs that it deemed to be political messages taken down at its high school, one with the phrase Black Lives Matter and the other with Make America Great Again.

Former Board of Education candidate Mike Craig posted a photo of one of the images, a rainbow-colored Black Lives Matter message to Facebook, that read, In this class, we believe Black Lives Matter, womens rights are human rights, no human is illegal, science is real, love is love, kindness is everything. The message was posted on a science teachers desk in the front of the classroom, according to a screenshot of the post.

In Craigs post, which garnered more than 1,600 comments, he encouraged parents to e-mail the school administration and demand it taken down.

Other Facebook posts showed a Make America Great Again banner, posted on a history teachers classroom door. The banner contained an American flag, President Donald Trumps name and the words, The 45th U.S. President with his slogan beneath it.

Middletown Board of Education President Pam Rogers said both teachers were asked to take their signs down after Walker received several angry emails from parents.

The reason they were taken down from what I understand is that both were disrupting the classroom, Rogers told NJ Advance Media. In other words, students were either upset about things they saw on Facebook so whether they were in favor or against the signs, it was causing a lot of disruption in the classroom.

The We believe Black Lives Matter message was created by a woman in Wisconsin in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 election, though has since become a widely shared message promoting tolerance and progressive values. The Make America Great Again slogan was registered as a service mark by Donald Trump in 2015, shortly after he announced his run for President, and has come to be seen as his main campaign slogan.

Superintendent Mary Ellen Walker notified the school community of the removal at Middletown High School North in a brief statement related to recent events in the district.

Public schools have the responsibility to present information, aligned to the state standards and our district curriculum, in an objective manner, Walker wrote. Please be advised that this matter has been reviewed and mutually resolved in support of our efforts to promote a positive learning environment for all students.

The decision comes on the heels of a June letter, signed by more than 1,000 students, alumni and parents, calling on the school district to diversify its curriculum and prioritize anti-racism.

It is also imperative that the MTPSD commits to ensuring that ongoing discussions on topics such as racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, and white privilege are held within the classroom throughout the year, the letter reads.

In the same month as the letter, Jada Tulloch, Middletown High School Norths 2020 valedictorian, called out racism at Middletown schools with a viral video posted to Instagram. After her classmates gathered outside the Board of Education building to protest their in-person graduation being canceled, Tulloch urging students to stop trying to invalidate the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests against police brutality by comparing the injustices faced by minorities to the oppression that youre facing from the Board of Ed."

Rogers, a Democrat in a town where 60 percent of residents voted for Trump in 2016, said she personally did not agree that the items equally merited removal, but that the decision was made by the superintendent and informed by the districts legal department.

Craigs Facebook post called Rogers out by name, in whats become a heated fight for Rogers' re-election with plenty of mud-slinging from her opponents. A YouTube video from the channel Middletown Anonymous was posted last week, connecting Rogers to the Defund the Police movement, which she vehemently denies.

Its just ludicrous, ridiculous, insignificant, silly," Rogers said. Theres no ill will between Pam Rogers and the Middletown Police Department.

Walker did not respond to a request for comment.

As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here.

Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Have a news tip or a story idea about New Jersey schools? Send it here.

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MAGA and Black Lives Matter signs ordered taken down at N.J. high school - nj.com