school meeting
Parents packed into the Lacey Board of Education meeting in Lacey Township, New Jersey, on Monday to confront board members after three high school students were given multiple days of in-school suspensions for taking a photo of themselves at a gun range.

The school board was "near-silent" as angry parents grilled them about the district's gun policy and whether it violates students' civil rights, Jersey Shore Online reported.

The Lacey Township School District had a policy in place that stated "any student who is reported to be in possession of a weapon of any type for any reason or purpose whether on or off school grounds" is subject to up to a one-year suspension and other penalties.

Lacy Township school letter
Parent Frank Horvath told the board he wanted them to "admit that they made an error and they've done something they shouldn't have." He also called on them to "apologize for that error" and "make a statement that they are going to aspire to no longer violate the Supreme Court decision or the constitutional rights of the parents or the children."

"And the person or people who made that decision should resign or be terminated effective immediately," Horvath added, earning him a standing ovation from other parents in the room.

Watch his remarks below:


Another parent, Ed Cardinal, told the board that his son had to remove a gun sticker from his truck because it was likely going to get him in trouble.

"Nobody wants another school shooting, but I think a lot of us are in the same understanding that having a sticker of a gun on your truck...is not going to create a school shooter," he added

As one mother spoke, her young daughter was seen holding up a sign that read, "Your policies disrupt the climate of our civil rights."

After the uproar over the policy, the school district quietly changed it to remove the language concerning what students do "off school grounds," NJ.com reported.

This change came after attorney Dan Schmutter sent a legal letter warning the school district that the policy was unconstitutional.

"Both the actions taken against the students and the Firearms Policy, are in blatant violation of the First and Second Amendments to the United States Constitution and the free speech protections of the New Jersey Constitution," the letter stated.

Schmutter previously told IJR that the policy is "no different than if they tried to punish a student for a book they read at home."

The Lacey Township School District apparently wasn't comfortable fighting for their position in court and decided that changing the policy was the best course of action.