About 70 students streamed out of Colonie Central High School on Friday, chanting and carrying posters to protest how the school disciplined classmates accused of making racist comments. The walkout capped a tense week in the South Colonie Central School District, where Superintendent David Perry had told parents Thursday, October 15, 2026, that several Colonie Central High School students had already been disciplined for Code of Conduct violations.
Students told WNYT they were upset about the discipline given to a group accused of making the racist remarks, and that older students had made the comments in videos circulating from a homecoming party over the weekend, according to students who spoke with the station. During Friday's protest, students chanted “Black Lives Matter” and held posters as they voiced their frustration that the punishment did not match the severity of what was said.
Superintendent David Perry sent a message to parents Thursday night condemning racism ahead of the walkout, telling families that several students had already been disciplined for violations of the Code of Conduct. He did not share specific details about the matter involving Colonie Central High School, but he was direct about the district's stance.
Superintendent Draws a Hard Line on Racism
“Racism will never be tolerated at South Colonie Central School District,” Perry said, according to the station's report. Despite that statement, students who walked out Friday said they remained dissatisfied with the punishment given to those shown in the video, arguing it fell short of what the incident warranted.
The protest wasn't the only sign of a district on edge. In a separate report published March 16, 2026, South Colonie Central School District officials said they were aware of posts and videos circulating on social media over March 14–15 referencing student altercations and possible threats, per CBS6 Albany. The district said school and district administrators had been working with local law enforcement to review the reported information, and reported additional administrative and security presence on campus on March 16. Officials emphasized that no threats had been made to the district itself.
A Student's Video Gets Flagged By Staff
One student told the station that administrators ordered him to stop recording the walkout and not share the footage with anyone. He said he ultimately did not share the video with the outlet because he didn't want to damage his relationship with school administrators. The district noted that some students who joined the walkout may have already been scheduled for early dismissal that day, raising questions about how many of the roughly 70 participants were formally cutting class versus simply leaving on schedule.
The dispute in Colonie echoes recent clashes elsewhere over how schools respond to racist incidents. In the Chicago suburbs, students at Lincoln-Way East High School walked out of class last month following two racist incidents involving another school, according to CBS Chicago. And just days before the Colonie protest, students in California led a walkout and spoke out at a school board meeting over a blackface incident, as reported by The Santa Barbara Independent.
New York state guidance on school discipline has long urged districts to keep punishment proportionate to the incident while reducing overreliance on punitive measures, according to joint guidance from the New York State Education Department. That framework offers one lens for why discipline decisions like the one at Colonie Central routinely become flashpoints between administrators trying to follow policy and students who feel the response doesn't fit the offense.
No further details on the specific comments, the students involved, or the exact discipline imposed have been released. It also remains unclear whether the social media posts referencing altercations and possible threats are connected to the same homecoming party videos students cited in their protest, or whether any criminal investigation has resulted from either matter.
