Two high school students swallow goldfish at a school assembly and were punished with a stern lecture.

Animal rights activists say it's not enough.

After learning about the stunt late last month, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urged Federal Way Public Schools to adopt a district-wide policy prohibiting the use of animals in school functions, according to the Associated Press

"We feel certain you'll agree that killing fish in the name of school spirit is unacceptable," wrote Jennifer O'Connor, an official with the Norfolk, Va.-based group.

School district spokeswoman Diane Turner says the boys ate the goldfish Sept. 20, apparently after promising to do so if one of them got elected as a class officer.

Turner adds school officials lectured the boys on proper behavior and called their parents. They received no further discipline.

"These are good kids who made bad decisions," Turner said. "What they did was not appropriate. We used it as a teaching moment."