U.S. Students and the Immigration Issue

This is a partial transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," April 5, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

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TONY SNOW, GUEST HOST: In the "Impact Segment" tonight, American students and the immigration issue. You may have seen scenes like this in the past few weeks. — High school students around the country, walking out of school to protest an immigration bill being debated in Washington.

Because of the tension, some schools have temporarily banned what they call "patriotic clothing," including flags and anything with a political statement.

One of those schools is Shaw Heights Middle School in Westminster, Colorado. Fourteen-year-old Kirsten Golgart is a student there. She says she was reprimanded for wearing camouflage to school.

She joins us now from Denver. Along with her father, Eric.

Kirsten, first, do you think the school's taking sides in this issue?

KIRSTEN GOLGART, 14-YEAR-OLD STUDENT OF SHAW HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL: I don't think they're taking sides. I just think they're taking all our rights away.

SNOW: Well, and taking your rights away, one of the fears is things have gotten a little heated. Have you said anything provocative to Latino or Hispanic students at your school?

K. GOLGART: No, I didn't say anything to any of the Latino or Hispanic students, because most of them are my friends.

SNOW: OK, Mr. Golgart, I want to ask you. There are also school walkouts going on around the country. I doubt that it's happened there, but what is your reaction to the way schools have been handling this in particular, seeming to say to students yes, go ahead, protest, skip a day?

ERIC GOLGART, CLAIMS DAUGHTER WAS WARNED NOT TO WEAR CAMOUFLAGE: I don't — as far as the protests, skip a day thing, it really doesn't actually apply in our situation, because you know, I say this, because we have a really good batch of students. And they want to go to school.

SNOW: OK.

E. GOLGART: They want to learn.

SNOW: Good.

E. GOLGART: So, I can't really comment on that part of it.

SNOW: OK, well then, let me switch gears. Your daughter sitting next to you is wearing camouflage pants right now.

E. GOLGART: Yes.

SNOW: What's the big deal about wearing "camo" to school? My dad was in the military for 30 years. If I wore "camo" to school, he'd have my hide.

E. GOLGART: You know, it's — I think right now, it's just the kids' fashion. And yes, I can understand, you know, some days because I'm also a military -- or son of a Marine, as you can see by shirt, I'm wearing in his honor.

I don't really see any issue with it, because what they're wearing it for is to — the support of our troops to say hey, we're here for you.

SNOW: So this is about support for -- Kirsten, this is about support or troops in Afghanistan and Iraq?

K. GOLGART: Yes and for — I want to show that I'm an American.

SNOW: OK, well, why then are people -- I mean, are people getting unglued because you're wearing camos and they're saying because you're saying an American -- or are they saying that you're implying that they're not? What's the big deal here? I'm still trying to figure out.

K. GOLGART: Well, they're saying just because we're wearing camo, that it somehow meant it was racist because some students were saying racial slurs and just being totally rude to the Hispanic students. They said that those that — the camo was racist.

SNOW: Yes. Now Eric, you've talked to the school superintendent, correct?

E. GOLGART: Actually, I talked -- I have not had a chance to get a hold of...

SNOW: I'm sorry, the school principal. I mean the school principal.

E. GOLGART: The school principal, yes, I've had a couple of closed door meetings with her.

SNOW: And what is the big deal here? It seems to me — do you think she's overreacting?

E. GOLGART: Yes, I do. And I think her actions are really unjustified. And whenever you have this school that has 600 children, and you have 50 children, maybe even 60 children, and we had this in our closed door meeting, that are acting out, and instead of being able to control the 50 or 60 students that are acting up, she feels that she has a right to remove the rights from all students.

SNOW: And as a parent, do you think parents are egging some of the kids on?

E. GOLGART: No, I have not seen that, myself.

SNOW: OK. Kirsten, at the end of this, tell me how do you think all this is going to affect the school? It sounds to me like you've got a lot of Latino kids, you've got a lot of Caucasian kids. And for the most part, you get along?

K. GOLGART: We did get along, until all of this began, which was two weeks ago, when some of the students were doing walkouts for the protests.

SNOW: Mm-hmm.

K. GOLGART: And they were saying things about America that the students disliked. And they were ripping American flags off people's shirts and stepping on them and spitting on them.

SNOW: Well, that would do it. So there were walkouts. OK, Kirsten and Mr. Golgart, I want to thank you both for joining us.

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