Action opposed by state's attorney general

By Tyler Arnold Catholic News Agency

The state of Oklahoma has approved the country’s first-ever religious charter school.

The June move will allow public funds to pay the tuition of children attending an online Catholic school run by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.

The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 to approve St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in a three-hour-long meeting.

The “yes” votes included a new member who was appointed by Oklahoma’s Republican governor, Kevin Stitt.

In a statement, the governor applauded the decision.

“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,” Gov. Stitt said.

“Oklahomans support religious liberty for all and support an increasingly innovative educational system that expands choice,” the governor added. “Today, with the nation watching, our state showed that we will not stand for religious discrimination.”

Because charter schools are public schools funded by taxpayers, the decision to fund a religiously affiliated charter school is already coming under legal scrutiny.

Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond rebuked the board’s vote and said the action was unconstitutional.

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

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, disagreed with the attorney general, stating that the move expands school choice for the public.

“This decision reflects months of hard work and, more importantly, the will of the people of Oklahoma,” Superintendent Walters said.

“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. I have fought for school choice in all forms, and this further empowers parents. We will make sure every Oklahoma parent has the opportunity to decide what is best for their child,” the superintendent added.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot discriminate against religiously affiliated schools in its school voucher programs.

However, the constitutionality of charter schools run by religious institutions has not yet come up before the Supreme Court. ■ to the win. Anna spent her winnings on a camera because she likes taking pictures.

Another winner from Holy Ghost and the St. Benedict Co-Op was Julian Crace. In the fifth-grade division, students were asked to write about a historical figure who lived before the 1950s in North America who “made an impact on the Church and country.”

Julian chose to feature Father Patrick Ryan, a priest at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Chattanooga who died serving those with yellow fever in the late 1800s and whose cause for canonization is being promoted.

When asked what inspired him to write about Father Ryan, Julian said, “I heard a lot about him, and it’s really cool because I thought his story was really cool, and I wanted to help him get canonized.”

As Julian wrote in his essay, “(Father Ryan) was a role model to all U.S. citizens and to all faithful Catholics. Because of his burning

Essays continued on page A13