Oklahoma school board approves what would be the 1st taxpayer-funded religious school in US

Despite the Oklahoma Attorney General’s warning against the decision, the Oklahoma State School Board voted on Monday to approve what might be the country’s first religious school funded by the public.

The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved, with a 3-2 vote, an application by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma to establish the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School. This online charter school will be accessible to all state students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The State Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, had cautioned the board that such a decision was a direct violation of the Oklahoma Constitution.

Drummond expressed his disappointment in a statement soon after the vote, “The approval of any publicly funded religious school is not only contrary to Oklahoma law but also not in the taxpayers’ best interest. It’s extremely disappointing that board members breached their oath to fund religious schools with taxpayer money, thereby exposing themselves and the state to potential legal consequences that could be expensive.”

The Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma mentioned in its application that the Catholic school is part of the Church’s evangelizing mission and serves as the primary setting for Christian education.

The Catholic Conference of Oklahoma’s Executive Director, Brett Farley, expressed his satisfaction by saying, “We are elated that the board agreed with our argument and application for the nation’s first religious charter school.”

On the other hand, Americans United for Separation of Church and State criticized the board’s decision.

Rachel Laser, the group’s president and CEO, stated, “It’s hard to think of a more glaring violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public-school families than the state establishing the nation’s first religious public charter school. This decision represents a drastic shift for American democracy. Americans United will work with our Oklahoma and national partners to pursue all possible legal measures to oppose this decision and uphold the separation of church and state guaranteed in both the Oklahoma and U.S. Constitutions.”

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor, Kevin Stitt, who had earlier this year signed a bill allowing parents to receive a tax incentive for sending their children to private schools, including religious ones, hailed the board’s decision.

“This is a victory for religious freedom and educational choice in our great state, and I am motivated by these efforts to give parents more options for their child’s education,” Governor Stitt declared in a statement.

Please note a correction to this story: the correct name of the virtual charter is St. Isidore of Seville, not St. Isodore.

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More about religious charter school

• Oklahoma school board approves first taxpayer-funded religious school
• Oklahoma Attorney General warns religious school approval is unconstitutional
• Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma’s application for St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State denounces board’s approval
• Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt praises the approval of religious charter school