Several hundred students walked out of Clarkstown North High School this afternoon to protest conditions in the building, my colleague Steve Lieberman reports.

Here’s the story:

Several hundred students walked out of classes at Clarkstown North High School about 12:20 p.m. today, protesting conditions in the building.

The students were on the sports fields at the school, holding signs that read, among other slogans: “Walkout CSHN,” “Clean North” and “Rams not roaches.” The school mascot is the Ram.

Students chanted various slogans, including, “Save our school, roaches must go” and “No more rats.”

Standing near the fence on Congers Lake Road, students said they had first planned to march to Town Hall, but school administrators told them they would be arrested if they left campus.

The district has in recent weeks has found and removed three dead rats, including a decomposing rat that was crawling with maggots, at the high school’s annex building. District officials said they believe the rats came from a nest near a Congers Road home that was recently demolished.

Parents have criticized the administration for waiting too long to inform them of the situation.

North senior Stephen Jean-Baptiste, 17, accused the district of letting the situation fester.

“It’s disgusting,” he said. “There are roaches and rats and they’re not doing anything.”

Student Austin Abaras, 14, said he’d seen some insects in the school.

“They have roaches in the bathroom,” he said. “It’s disgusting.”

The district superintendent’s office refused to allow a reporter or photographer onto school property to speak to students and said the principal could not speak with a reporter.

“The principal is not available today,” said Maureen Sullivan, assistant to Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan. “He is actively working with students.”

Check back for updates on LoHud.com and read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News. (Photos by Angie Gaul/The Journal News)