The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 to approve the nation’s first religious charter school Monday.
As a charter school, St. Isidore will be independently managed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.
St. Isidore will employ Catholics to its teaching staff and have subjects like math and reading contain religious teachings. The school will also be funded by taxpayer dollars.
Opponents of the board's decision believe having the taxpayers fund a religious school contradicts the idea of separation between church and state. In a press release, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the board's decision is unconstitutional and will soon prompt legal action.
“The approval of any publicly funded religious school is contrary to Oklahoma law and is not in the best interest of taxpayers,” Drummond wrote. “It’s extremely disappointing that board members violated their oath in order to fund religious schools with our tax dollars. In doing so, these members have exposed themselves and the State to potential legal action that could be costly.”
The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board is mainly composed of members appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has shown his support for religious charter schools.
In a press release, Stitt applauded the board for standing up for “religious freedom.”
“This is a win for religious liberty and education freedom in our great state, and I am encouraged by these efforts to give parents more options when it comes to their child’s education,” Stitt wrote.
Superintendent and Charter School Board member Ryan Walters also announced his support for the school.
“This decision reflects months of hard work and more importantly, the will of the people of Oklahoma. I encouraged the board to approve this monumental decision and now the U.S’s first religious charter school will be welcomed by my administration,” Walters wrote.
This would make Oklahoma the first state to have a publicly funded religious school. St. Isidore would begin in fall 2024 at the latest, offering online classes for kindergarten through 12th grade.
This story was edited by Teegan Smith.
