Albany high school students walk out to protest ‘blackout’ night at football game

Students at an overwhelmingly white high school outside Albany walked out of class Tuesday to protest racism after several classmates painted their faces black following a “blackout”-themed football game last week.

More than 100 students at Guilderland High School staged the walkout after accusing the students of intentionally donning blackface and making racist statements, according to the Times Union.

Protesters told the paper they also took action to protest a widespread climate of racism at the school. The demonstrators claim black students have been targeted with racial slurs in the hallways and library books about black history were vandalized with hate speech.

Tensions rose after the two Guilderland High School students painted their faces for the football game at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany. When some students attempted to start a “Black Lives Matter” chant, they were reportedly mocked by the fans in blackface.

School administrators ordered the kids to wipe the paint off their faces before doling out unknown disciplinary measures, according to a statement from the district. The memo noted that students were encouraged to wear black clothes to the game.

A source who attended the high school and was at the game told The Post he did not believe the kids who painted their faces were trying to be offensive and said students routinely paint their faces in school colors to support the football team.

The student, who is white, also said he thought gender and sexuality issues were a bigger concern at the school than racism, adding that many of the students who participated in the protest were likely just trying to get out of class and not committed to racial equality.

Guilderland school officials did not return a call from The Post Thursday afternoon after promising a prompt reply. Subsequent calls to the superintendent’s office went unanswered.

Only 5 percent of the suburban school’s approximately 1,500 students are black, according to US News & World Report.

According to the local paper, a college-level “Black History in America” class was canceled this year after only five students signed up.

The school had scheduled roundtable discussions with students about racism in the wake of the incidents.

“I honestly feel — I don’t even know what the word is — like, humbled by the daunting challenges of this task,” Superintendent Marie Wiles told WNYT-TV.