The football team kneeled for the national anthem on Saturday prior to a game against Highland to draw attention to social issues and economic disparities.

Kaye Runquist, the 84-year-old woman involved in the Route 3 westbound car accident on Sept. 7, passed away yesterday after succumbing to her injuries.

SECAUCUS - The 84-year-old woman involved in the horrific Route 3 wrong-way crash has died from her injuries, police said today.

Kaye Runquist, of Cherry Hill, died yesterday, one week after the crash in which she was driving a Dodge Neon the wrong way in the westbound lanes of Route 3 during the morning rush hour.

She was on the Hackensack River bridge when she collided with a BMW driven by a 59-year-old man from Secaucus, who was released from the hospital the day of the accident with minor injuries, police say.

"On behalf of the Secaucus Police Department, our prayers go out to the Runquist family," Chief Kevin Flaherty said in a statement.

The crash is still being investigated by the Traffic Division, and it is still unknown where Runquist entered Route 3 westbound. Family members did not know why the 84-year-old was in North Jersey, more than two hours from her home, CBS New York News reported.

Secaucus police said Runquist had checked out of a Seaside Park hotel the morning of the crash.

The fire began in the basement and was reported shortly after midnight.

PENNSAUKEN TWP. -- Firefighters extinguished an overnight fire in the basement of the Temple of Praise Ministries Church, but the blaze left the church significantly damaged.

No one was injured in the fire, which broke out shortly after midnight Wednesday morning. Firefighters had the blaze under control within minutes, the Associated Press reported, but other fire departments were still called in for support. 

A Gofundme page to support the church repair work was started Wednesday morning by a woman who says she grew up in the church and thinks of it as her second home.

Shambree Nashell said on the website that the fire spread quickly and the church's windows and doors are now boarded up.

"We are a growing church and we are a church that will not be defeated," she said. "Our goal has always been and will always be 'Winning the Lost at ALL cost' and we intended to get the church back up and running but we need your help." 

Photographs of the church basement on the page show damage to tables and chairs stored there, and areas where firefighters had to break off chunks of the walls and ceiling to get at the fire.

Fire Chief Joe Palumbo told the AP that the church is 150 years old and has previously survived a fire. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

NJ.com unveils its second installment of the Player of the Year watch list.

Mayor Dana Redd praised the collaboration between her city and Washington.

WASHINGTON -- New partnerships with the federal government have brought needed help to the city of Camden, Mayor Dana Redd said Wednesday.

Joining White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett on a conference call with reporters, Redd cited both government programs and dedicated staff from the federal government for the city's successes.

"We are beginning to see exciting outcomes in our community," she said.    

Obama calls Camden 'symbol of promise'

President Barack Obama visited in May 2015, calling Camden "a symbol of promise for the nation" as he talked about efforts to improve police-community relations. He visited Camden County Police Department headquarters and a community center on the trip.

"This city is on to something," Obama said at the time.

Jarrett said the White House has gotten away from a one-fits-all approach and instead has tried to work with each municipality to determine specific needs and what the federal government can do to help address them.

"We've deliberately changed the way the federal government works with communities, one city at a time," Jarrett said. "We've learned in the 21st century, communities need to be true partners."

Redd said the programs have allowed the city to provide career training and job placement services for more than 100 people who otherwise might to turn to crime. Another 60 at-risk individuals are working on developing the programs, she said.

In addition, the city is participating in a Obama administration initiative to use data to determine which programs designed to combat crime and hold down prison population actually work, and how to target individuals most in need of social services.

Camden last year was designated as a "promise zone," which gave the city priority for certain grants and the presence of extra staff members through AmeriCorps.

The city planned to use that designation and the increased attention it brought to focus on increasing economic opportunities, improving education, promoting health, providing housing and reducing crime. 

Camden was awarded $16.2 million in federal funds in July to rebuild a network of streets north of the Ben Franklin Bridge in an attempt to enhance economic development in the area.

The money, designed to support city and state efforts to redevelop the Camden waterfront, came from the U.S. Transportation Department's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, program. 

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

A witness questioned whether officers dragged their feet arresting the Camden police recruit.

WATERFORD TWP. -- The alleged drunk driving arrest of a Camden County police officer in Waterford Sunday has led to not one but two police internal affairs investigations.

Nicholas Gagliardi, a new recruit with Camden police, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Now he is suspended without pay and facing an internal affairs inquiry, according to a county spokesman.

And in Waterford, internal affairs will be looking into the actions of the officers who responded to the 911 call about Gagliardi allegedly nearly causing a serious accident.

Tim Scurria, the man who called police, said he was irate that it took an hour for officers to administer a field sobriety test and arrest Gagliardi.

"It's an active internal affairs investigation based on allegations from Mr. Scurria," Waterford Police Chief Daniel Cormaney said Wednesday. He declined to discuss the incident and arrest, and said he could not name the involved officers.

Scurria, of Waterford, said the incident took place Sunday afternoon in front of the Town Center plaza on the White Horse Pike in Atco.

He said that while waiting for the police to respond, the man "kept saying, 'I'm a cop...nothing's going to happen to me.'"

Scurria was concerned that Gagliardi was right and that he wouldn't be arrested because he was an officer. He let officers know how he felt about what he perceived to be a delay.

"They did their job, it just took some time," he said. "If that was any of us, we would have been in handcuffs in 15 minutes."

PHOTOS: Camden Police Academy's graduation

Gagliardi referred comment to his attorney, Nancy Valentino. She said that her client maintains his innocence.

"There is a process that will determine whether Mr. Gagliardi is guilty of any offense, and we are in the very early stages of that process," she said. "He will have his day in court."

She also said that she has no reason to believe police officers weren't doing their jobs correctly at the scene, and suggested Scurria's behavior may have "impeded" officers.

"It it my understanding from the account that I have received so far that the Waterford Township Police Department was acting appropriately at all times and that my client was compliant at all times," Valentino said.

Scurria said he was driving west on the White Horse Pike near Atoc Brewing Company with his wife around 5 p.m. when a car coming the opposite direction turned left in front of him. He slammed on the brakes.

"There's 25 feet of skid marks. I was going 45 mph," Scurria said.

The erratic driving worried him so he followed the car into the plaza and approached it when it stopped. He asked the driver if he was OK and after getting no answer, opened the door. The man got out of the car with some difficulty, he said.

"He stumbled," Scurria said. "I grabbed him by the back of his belt and walked him to the end of his vehicle to hold him up."

The man denied drinking and told Scurria he was a cop, producing an ID card saying as much, Scurria said. He told the man he had called the police and he was going to be arrested, the man said that wouldn't happen because he was a Camden County police officer.

"I said, 'you almost killed me and my wife," Scurria said.

There was a male passenger in Gagliardi's vehicle, he said.

Camden police talk turnover during hiring push

Scurria called 911, but when five police officers arrived they told him they were responding to a report of a fight. Scurria said it's possible someone else saw him interacting with Gagliardi -- he admits he was upset -- and called it in.

Either way, police had a lot of questions for him and his wife, as well as Gagliardi, he said. And as time passed, Scurria said he became more and more upset because he couldn't understand why officers were not giving the man a field sobriety test. He ultimately called the State Police, but was told it would be an hour before they could be there.

He said that at 6 p.m., an hour after the near-miss accident, Gagliardi did a field sobriety test and was arrested.

Scurria said he was not the only witness who stayed around to give a statement to police. A second driver followed them into the plaza and told Scurria that he had been following the man's vehicle from Berlin and had seen it swerve and even hit a curb, Scurria said.

The county spokesman, Dan Keashen, said Gagliardi will remain suspended while the department conducts an internal affairs investigation and until the outcome of his court case.

He said the Gagliardi had graduated in August with the most recent class of recruits from the Camden County College Police Academy.

Today, smart phones make it easy, expected, in fact, to take a picture of everything and anything.

I love photographs, and I especially love poring through old photographs.

I just wish more of them were my own.

Picture-taking is such a common part of our lives today that it hardly requires a second thought. Camera phones make it so easy to record everything that's going on to share with others.

You look away for just a second ... and it's pie-time for the dog.Courtesy of the Hatala family 

But it wasn't so easy in the 1960s and 1970s when I was growing up. Cameras had limited shots on their film rolls, and there was no way of knowing if the picture had come out until it was developed. Film cost money, and so did developing. Polaroid instant cameras were relatively expensive as was the film, and kind of bulky to carry around.

I think a lot of this added up to getting only "perfect shots" and "special events."

Yet for all the pretty bulky eight-track tapes I kept in my car, it never occurred to me to keep a little Instamatic camera and fire off a few shots every now and again of hanging out with friends.

Today, smart phones equipped with cameras and huge memory make it easy, expected, in fact, to take a picture of everything and anything. Candid photos, therefore, are shot all of the time these days.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

So, perhaps candid photos taken in "the old days" are all the more valuable.  I truly wish I had more than just mental memories of classic moments that could have been recorded on film, but weren't.

Here's a gallery of pictures taken by people who did bring along their cameras to capture vintage slices of life in New Jersey. Make sure captions are enabled to know all there is to know about these classic snapshots.

Can't get enough? Here's a link to our last candid gallery.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Police are investigating a crash involving two tractor trailers on the NJ Turnpike, report says

CHERRY HILL TWP. -- Six people were were hurt in a motor vehicle crash early Thursday morning involving two tractor trailers and an SUV on the New Jersey Turnpike, 6abc reports.

Police and emergency personnel responded to the scene near exit 3 and 4 southbound at roughly 1 a.m., the report says.

One person was trapped inside an SUV and was rescued by emergency crews, 6abc reports.

It is unclear at this time what caused the crash.

Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Authorities are seeking the public's help in identifying this woman wanted for theft.

CHERRY HILL TWP. -- A pregnant woman is a suspect in a Cherry Hill Mall theft, police reported.

Cherry Hill Police are seeking the identification of this woman (Photo provided by Cherry Hill Police | For NJ.com)
 

Cherry Hill Police are seeking the identification of a pregnant woman between the age of 19 and 25 years old.

The woman allegedly shoplifted from the Cherry Hill Mall on Sept. 1 around 2 p.m.

Police did not say what the woman allegedly stole from the mall.

Anyone with information or who can identify the woman is asked to contact police at 856-432-8834 or email dkenniff@cherryhillpolice.com.

Take a look at where the top runners in N.J. are ranked

A non-profit organization prepares for the bike ride of the year in honor of Erick Foster.

It's days away from the 100-mile trek in honor of a fallen United States Army veteran and more than 50 bike riders are gearing up for the journey.

Erick Foster

From one state to the next, these bike riders will pedal from Philadelphia all the way down to Cape May to raise money for for service dogs to match with area veterans in the tri-state who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The hike down the shore Saturday could take anywhere between 6 and 7.5 hours but it's a team effort and no man will be left behind, according to Nick Liermann, CEO and Founder of Team Foster.

"It's not a race and there are no set speed records to break. There are cyclists who have never done something like this, and there are cyclists who do it all the time. But everyone is going to be in it together, and will finish it together," Liermann said Wednesday.

Team Foster -- based out of Philadelphia -- is a non-profit organization established last year working to reach out to local veterans throughout the South Jersey area.

All of these efforts stem from the legacy of a hero who died while in active duty.

U.S. Army Capt. Erick Foster, of Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed in Iraq in August 2007. He was only 29 years old.

Liermann was a close friend of Foster -- the two sharing a love and passion for the United States military. The organization has grown since its establishment and cyclists are gearing up for the 100-mile stretch.

A photo posted by Team Foster (@weareteamfoster) on Sep 14, 2016 at 5:46am PDT

Because the cyclists were not permitted to bike across the Ben Franklin Bridge, participants will instead be transported on a ferry across the Delaware.

The Foster 100 will raise money which will be used to continue partnering service dogs with local veterans.

This is the second year the trek is open to everyone and participants have more than doubled since last year.

"We will complete the ride in teams. Everybody will have a military vibe and we will all take care of each other," Liermann said.

Ride to honor a hero. Ride to help those who served. Just. Ride.
The Foster 100. Sept 17th.https://t.co/mro6Z7CI9z pic.twitter.com/LQbKsYgJ4b

-- Team Foster (@WeAreTeamFoster) July 17, 2016

"Any time you spend at least six hours in this kind of battle, it's always a challenge. It's hot, long and challenging for everybody. But as long as everyone keeps their head in the game, and remembers why we are doing it, everything should turn out okay," Liermann continued.

Veteran's legacy lives on

Along the route, there will be four different rest stops. Team Foster has partnered with local charities, fire departments and other companies to staff the rest areas.

After the completion of the ride, Exit Zero will host an after party for all to attend via donation.

It's not too late to join the 100-mile ride -- there are still a couple openings available. Follow Saturday's ride on social media using #teamfoster and #foster100.

For more information on Team Foster or to get involved through donations or volunteering, please email us@teamfoster.org.

Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

NJ.com is asking fans to vote for their favorite video clip from Week 1

Restaurants and businesses had to evacuate around 5:45 p.m., according to reports.

COLLINGSWOOD -- Patrons having dinner at several downtown restaurants were forced to evacuate mid-meal, along with staff and anyone else on the block, after a bomb threat was called in.

The Courier-Post reports that the threat targeted Sabrina's Cafe at 714 Haddon Ave. around 5:45 p.m. 

Police evacuated the entire block and shut down Haddon Avenue while they investigated, the Post reported.

Mayor James Maley said authorities declared "all clear within an hour," according to the newspaper.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Who is No. 1 in this week's rankings?

Three recipients will now be able to advance their educational status

VOORHEES -- Three Kennedy Health associates have been named recipients of the 2016 Kennedy Nursing Scholarship Awards. This scholarship program not only enables Kennedy nurses to advance their educational status, but also supports non-nursing Kennedy associates wishing to pursue a career in nursing.

Recipients of the 2016 Kennedy Nursing Scholarship Awards are:

Holly McDaniel, of Gloucester City, Patient Care Technician at Kennedy University Hospital in Washington Township. She received an entry-level scholarship, which awards up to $12,000 for Kennedy associates aspiring to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). This scholarship type was open to all associates, in both clinical and non-clinical roles. McDaniel is pursuing her BSN degree at Philadelphia's LaSalle University.

Colleen Farnum, of Medford, assistant nurse manager at Kennedy University Hospital in Cherry Hill. She received the Gartzman RN to BSN Scholarship, which awards up to $4,500 to current Kennedy RNs aspiring to earn a BSN degree. Farnum is pursuing her BSN degree at Grand Canyon University. The Gartzman Fund, established in memory of Dr. Alan Gartzman, a young Kennedy physician who died in a car accident in 1985, provides funding for the RN to BSN Scholarship. Alan Gartzman's son, Steve, who attended the awards presentation, said his father "always recognized the importance of the entire medical team, especially the nurses," adding that the Gartzman Fund was pleased to offer its support to the Kennedy Nursing Scholarship Program.

Maria Gagliardi, of Sewell, clinical nurse at the Kennedy Surgical Center in Washington Township. She received the Leadership Scholarship, which awards up to $8,000 to current BSN- and MSN-level nurses aspiring to earn Master of Science or Doctorate in Nursing degrees, respectively. Gagliardi is pursuing her MSN degree from Thomas Edison State University.

Eighteen Kennedy associates applied for Kennedy Nursing Scholarships. Recipients were chosen by a committee comprised of nursing leaders and clinical nursing staff. To contribute to Kennedy Health's Nursing Scholarship Fund, call the Kennedy Health Care Foundation at (856) 566-5309 or visit: www.kennedyhealth.org/nursing-scholarship

This item submitted by Nicole Pennsiero, Kennedy Health.

Before the incident, the officer had nightmares about being shot or shooting an unarmed civilian.

CAMDEN -- Appellate judges granted a new civil trial against a Camden police officer who shot a man in the torso in 2009, ruling that jurors should have been told he had mental health issues.

The three judges of the appellate division of the New Jersey Superior Court said in their decision Wednesday that the jury also could have been biased against the shooting victim, Leonides Velazquez, because an assistant prosecutor testified that then-officer Alexis Ramos was not charged in the shooting.

Velazquez filed a civil rights suit against Ramos after the Camden city officer shot him twice on Jan. 2, 2009 in front of his home during a verbal argument involving multiple people.

The jury found no civil rights violation, but Wednesday's decision grants a new trial on the basis that the trial judge made two incorrect decisions.

First, he did not allow Velazquez's attorney to present evidence that Ramos may have had psychological issues that affected his ability to assess the scene that ended in the shooting.

After a fellow officer was shot 18 months previous, Ramos had suffered from nightmares in which he "dreamed he was shot by a citizen or in turn shot and killed an unarmed person," Judge Allison E. Accurso wrote in the decision. 

The judge also erred when he allowed an assistant prosecutor to testify that Ramos was not charge in the shooting, the appellate judges found.

Ramos filed for disability a few weeks after the shooting and has not worked as a police officer since then.

Camden residents react to body cameras

According to the decision, jurors heard that Velazquez, then 22, was outside his home in Camden when his girlfriend's mother and sister arrived and began accusing him of hitting his girlfriend and breaking a window at her home.

One woman threw a rock at the Velazquez, Accurso wrote, and Velazquez picked it up.

"As he stood up, rock in hand, Ramos appeared and shot him," Accurso wrote.

Ramos said it was a piece of cement 18 to 29 inches across and Velazquez brandished it over his head with both hands, but witnesses who testified all agreed it fit into the palm of one hand and was never held over his head. It was a broken piece of landscaping brick, the judge wrote.

Ramos also testified that he told Velazquez to put it down several times before shooting him twice in the torso.

Jurors heard testimony about "tunnel vision" possibly causing Ramos to misperceive the size of the rock, but the trial judge barred them from hearing about Ramos' psychological issues.

Ramos had been experiencing nightmares following the shooting of an officer, and had been placed on light duty, relieved of his service weapon and removed from the SWAT team. He returned to full duty in July 2007 and continued to be treated by a social worker, the decision stated.

The psychologist wrote at one point that Ramos' "sleep disturbances," anxiety and lack of concentration "could compromise the quality of his judgments in risky or sensitive situations."

Camden cop's arrest for DUI sparks 2 probes

The judges determined that while an officer's mental health records are not always admissible in use of force trials, in this case they were "relevant, and thus admissible, to assess his credibility and evaluate his subjective perceptions of the threat plaintiff posed."

The trial judge also should not have allowed Ramos' attorney to call former assistant prosecutor Greg Smith to testify that he had reviewed the use of force case and decided not to charge Ramos, according to the decision.

"Having the head of the homicide unit in the prosecutor's officer offer his opinion that Ramos should not face criminal charges based on the investigation conducted, in our view impermissibly risked tipping the scales on that very close question in defendants' favor," the decision states.

Attorney Mark Frost, who represents Velazquez, told the Courier-Post that his client is "elated" that he will get another chance to prove his case against Ramos.

He told the newspaper that since the shooting, Velazquez has a limp and has been hospitalized several times.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The event is free and open to all South Jersey residents

BLACKWOOD -- The South Jersey Healthy Marriage & Family Summit, a free conference to strengthen the marriages, families and communities of South Jersey is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Camden County College, 200 College Drive in Blackwood.  

Topics include:

• Parenting Through the Seasons:  Keys to Motivate and Prepare Kids, Teens and Young Adults for Success
• Keys for Successful Blended Families
• Budgeting Strategies to Reduce and/or Eliminate Debt
• Tools to Successfully Navigate and Overcome Health Challenges
• Secrets for Improving Communication in Marriage
• Tips to Safeguard Your Family in the Social Media Age

This event is open to all South Jersey residents seeking to grow within and strengthen their families and communities, as well as the agencies seeking to serve them. Attendance is free, but registration is required.  Click here to attend. 

Community organizations seeking to provide support to families throughout South Jersey can exhibit your resources for free. Email info@LovingOurCities.org for details.

Enter to win or nominate a couple that you believe has been married the longest in South Jersey.  Click here for details.

For more information, visit www.SJSummit.org.

This item submitted by the Perfecting Church.

The man robbed three banks in Camden County in eight days, authorities said.

An alleged serial robber has been holding up banks at gunpoint in Camden County and authorities are asking the public to help identify him.

The Camden County prosecutor's office said the man robbed a bank last week and two more Wednesday.

The most recent robberies occurred one after the other at the TD Bank on the Black Horse Pike in Bellmawr and the BB&T Bank on the White Horse Pike in Lawnside.

"The suspect entered the banks, brandished a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from the tellers. He received an undisclosed amount of cash and fled," the prosecutor's office said in a release Thursday.

On Sept. 6 around 10:30 a.m., the same suspect executed a similar armed robbery at the TD Bank located at 601 College Drive in Blackwood, according to the release.

4 indicted in robbery of BB&T bank

No one was injured in any of the robberies.

Authorities described the suspect as a white male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and 150 pounds. During the robberies he wore sunglasses, a baseball cap and a white t-shirt.

He was last seen driving away in a black two-door Mitsubishi with a rear spoiler -- a vehicle that investigators said may have been Lancer. A witness got a partial license plate number of XA 787 but did not see what state the plate was from.

The prosecutor's office said no one should attempt to apprehend the man, but should call 911.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities in one of the following ways: Camden County prrosecutor's office detectives Vince McCalla at (856) 225-8569 or Tim Houck at (856) 225-8506; Gloucester Township Police Detective Brian Farrell at (856) 374-5706; Bellmawr Police Detective Bill Perna at (856) 931-2121 ext. 224; or Lawnside Police Detective Mashea Snyder at (856) 573-6205.

Tips can also be emailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

He will serve a life sentence without parole, plus 66 years, for the crime spree on Sept. 30, 2011.

CAMDEN -- A man found guilty of committing murder, sexual assault and armed robbery in one night five years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Steven Alicea, 23, was sentenced Friday in Camden Superior Court to life in prison without parole plus another 66 years, according to a statement from Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson.

Jurors found that on Sept. 30, 2011, Alicea and his accomplice, John Gonzalez, shot and killed a woman during a robbery attempt, then entered a home and sexually assaulted a woman and robbed a man.

Gonzalez, was convicted in January of murder, weapons offenses and other charges and sentenced in April to 41 years in prison. He was 16 when he committed the crimes but was waived to adult court.

Alicea was convicted in June on 15 counts, including murder, aggravated sexual assault, armed robbery and witness tampering.

Camden mourns slain girl, 8

The prosecutor's office said that Alicea and Gonzalez shot Lori Breiding, 38, of Camden, on the 2600 block of Cramer Street while trying to rob her. After that they broke into a nearby home where they sexually assaulted a woman and robbed an elderly man at gunpoint, according to the statement.

Assistant Prosecutor Peter Gallagher told jurors that Gonzalez and Alicea were responsible for all the crimes. He presented evidence that they matched the descriptions of the assailants and were found carrying .22 caliber guns, the same type of gun that killed Breiding.

Her purse was also found at the home that they broke into immediately after, the release states.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A Florida High School principal said he would eject students at all school sporting events who did not stand and stay quiet for the national anthem,, according to a report.

A Florida High School principal said he would eject students at all school sporting events who did not stand and stay quiet for the national anthem, according to a report on nbc-2.com.

In a video message obtained by the station, Laley High School principal Ryan Nemeth tells students "You will show absolutely no disrespect. You will stand and you will stay quiet. If you don’t you will be sent home and you will not have a refund of your ticket price."

Nemeth's rule is the latest twist on a controversial topic that began when San Francisco Giants 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem before a preseason game to protest police brutality and oppression of African-Americans. He has been joined by other professional athletes and continues to kneel for the anthem.

SLIDESHOW: Coaches, ADS react to anthem issue

Last Saturday, Woodrow Wilson football coach Preston Brown and most of his coaches and players kneeled for the national anthem before their opening game against Highland as a way to bring attention to social injustices and economic disparities, particularly in the city of Camden where Wilson is located.

The next day, the Camden School School District supported the rights of Brown and the Tigers to choose to kneel for the anthem. The Camden Diocese, which oversees six non-public high schools in South Jersey, said it would suspend any player who didn't stand for the anthem two games.

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Find the NJ.com High School Football page on Facebook by following this link.