Gun Group Wants Suspended Students Be Allowed To Return To Class

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - The Lacey Township School District's suspension of two high school students because they posted pictures of themselves online posing with guns at a private rifle range violates both the First and Second Amendments, says the attorney representing a New Jersey gun organization association.

Suspending the two boys because they posted the picture - which was taken off school grounds and unrelated to school activities on Snapchat - was a "very serious violation" of their rights, said attorney Daniel L. Schmutter.

And the organization - the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs - is prepared to sue the district if the suspensions are not rescinded and the district apologizes to the students and their families, he said in a recent letter to Superintendent Craig Wigley and Principal Gregory Brandis.

"We hope they will do the right thing," Schmutter said.

The boys have been in school this past week, but have not been allowed in class. They are both straight-A students who take some advanced placement courses, he said.

"These are top-quality kids," Schumuter said. "It's astonishing what they have done to these kids."

The Lacey school district follows the Safe Schools Initiative, the Zero Tolerance for Guns Act and the district's own zero-tolerance policy for any students who have weapons in their possession, on or off school grounds.

The possible penalties include long-term suspension, evaluation by the high school Child Study Team and possibly a recommendation to the Board of Education for an one-year suspension, the letter states.

When asked about recent reports on Facebook about the students' suspension, Superintendent Craig Wigley said social media reports were untrue and that he didn't comment on student matters.

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