By David Madden

NEWARK, N.J. (CBS) — A three-judge appellate panel in New Jersey has ruled that school districts cannot impose a so-called “24/7″ policy on student behavior unless that behavior has a direct impact on the school itself.

The ACLU fought to overturn the policy in the Ramapo Indian Hills District, in Bergen County.

The judicial panel sided with the state education department, which put restrictions on the plan that disciplines students regardless of when or where an infraction may occur.

Offenders were suspended from extracurricular activities, which did not sit well with ACLU legal director Ed Barocas.

“Schools, of course, have an important role to play regarding our children,” he tells KYW Newsradio, “but that status doesn’t grant them carte blanche in the lives of students.”

Ramapo can still appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

Closer to home, Haddonfield has its own 24/7 policy which is now being challenged in federal court by several families.