Saratoga Springs students are among those planning to walk out of class to protest gun violence and mark 20 years since the Columbine High School massacre. As our Matt Hunter reports, despite risking punishment for leaving school, the walkout's organizers say they're willing to stand up for what they believe in.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Padraig Bond and Matthew Taylor were among the more than 500 Saratoga Springs High School students who participated in last month's National Student Walkout Day to protest gun violence and honor the Parkland, Fla., shooting victims.

"I think this is a wake-up call in America for a younger generation to be able to involve themselves in activism and in politics," said Bond, who is a junior.

"It was just a show of force, a show of unity that this is an issue that really crosses all boundaries, because it affects everybody," said Taylor, who will graduate in June.

Like many of the walkouts held across the country on March 14, the students left class with the blessing of administrators and faculty.

"I was really proud of the leadership of our students to put together an event that honored the victims of the Parkland shooting,” said Mike Patton, superintendent of the Saratoga Springs City School District.

More than a month later, a number of Saratoga students are planning to join other community members for Friday morning's "Stand Up, Show Up" protest in front of City Hall, which will call on lawmakers to pass stricter gun laws and school safety measures.

"Looking at people running out of their classrooms are going to lunch and for this kind of thing to happen, it makes me terrified every day to think about that,” Bond said.

Saratoga students who participated in the March 14 "National Student Walkout Day" did not risk punishment, but this time around, Patton says they're treating Friday like any other day of school, and those who walk out without valid permission will be in violation of the student code of conduct.

"It would be an un-excused absence, so there are just natural consequences,” Patton said. “It can vary anywhere from a verbal warning to a detention to an in-school suspension."

Despite the risk of punishment, the students say they're prepared to stand up for what they believe in.

“You know, you don’t ask permission to protest," said Bond.

"We will keep fighting it until we achieve our goal, and nothing and no one is going to stop us,” Taylor said.

Friday’s protest is scheduled to last from 10 a.m. until noon Friday at Saratoga Springs City Hall. Students at other Capital Region schools are planning similar walkouts.