New Jersey high school student says he was kicked out of virtual class for having Trump campaign banner in the background in his home

A New Jersey high school student says two teachers wanted him to take down a Trump campaign banner that was posted to the wall behind him in his own home - and one booted him from class when he refused.

Anthony Ribeiro, 17, said his chemistry teacher asked him to leave a virtual class October 8 after refusing to remove the sign, which read 'Trump 2020 - Keep America Great.' 

The teacher, Andrew Gilman, told him to either take down the Trump banner or leave. Ribeiro, a student at Toms River High School North in Toms River, N.J., said he waved goodbye. 

The next day, the honor roll student said his English teacher, Leslie Maryon-Larose, requested he take down the banner, saying it could 'offend' other students. That time he complied - but he's uneasy about it. 

Toms River High School North student Anthony Ribeiro, 17, said two teachers tried to have him remove the Trump campaign banner during virtual classes. The boy refused and was asked to leave his chemistry class October 8

'Looking back I kind of regret it because I have the right in my house to do what I believe,' said Ribeiro told the Asbury Park Press. 'This should not happen to anyone.'

His mother, Tara Jost, wants somebody to say they're sorry.

'For this teacher to tell him to take it down and then kick him out of class is absurd. I think they have to make an apology to my son,' she told the Press. 

She did receive some satisfaction when the school's vice principal told her that her son's sign was fine and the chemistry teacher was in the wrong.

'He was in agreement with me and said they were 100 percent wrong. He said to leave it up,' Jost told the Press.

The school district would not comment to the Press on the specifics of the incidents but said any effort to have Ribeiro remove the banner contravened district policy. 

'The student was not in violation of any general code of conduct or any policy specifically related to virtual learning. We have worked with and are continuing to work with all involved parties to resolve the issue and move forward,' Toms River Regional Schools wrote in a statement to the Press.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students don't 'shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.' 

Ribeiro said he was not political until this year, when he became a supporter of President Trump. His mother, Tara Jost , said the vice principal of her son's school called and told her the chemistry teacher was in the wrong for telling her son to remove the Trump campaign banner from his wall

Beyond rights and rules, Ribeiro noted the apparent hypocrisy of the chemistry teacher who, in ordering him to remove the banner last week, said, 'There is no room for politics in my classroom.' 

Earlier in the semester, Ribeiro said, Gilman had made a political prescription to his high school students.

'He made it a political subject talking about global warning and saying Democrats are the only choice you have to make for this because they look at facts and science,' he said to the Press, which did not reach either teacher for comment. 

Toms River Regional Schools said any efforts to get Ribeiro to remove the Trump campaign banner hanging behind him during his virtual classes would have gone against district policy

The district's virtual learning rules sent to students earlier this year mentioned nothing about political statements or signs, but did forbid them from wearing pajamas or attending class from bed.

During his time at home, Ribeiro said he became a supporter of President Trump after having no specific political loyalties before. But he hopes his struggle to advertise his politics during his virtual classes helps students across the spectrum. 

'No matter if it's Trump or Biden, people have a right to express their opinion,' he said.