Oklahoma Board Approves 1st Religious Charter School In U.S. With 3-2 Vote

The nation's first publicly-funded religious charter school was approved by the Oklahoma State Virtual Charter School Board after a 3-2 vote on Monday.

The Board approved an application by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City to establish St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic Charter School as an online, public charter school.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond released the following statement:

“The approval of any publicly funded religious school is contrary to Oklahoma law and not in the best interest of taxpayers,” Drummond said. “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.”

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued a statement saying he applauds the work of the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board.

"I applaud the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board’s courage to approve the authorization for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. 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. Oklahomans support religious liberty for all and support an increasingly innovative educational system that expands choice. Today, with the nation watching, our state showed that we will not stand for religious discrimination."

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