The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board agreed to rescind the contract establishing the nation's first publicly funded religious charter school , but a federal appeal could rule in favor of the school .
The board agreed to rescind the contract Monday, following a state Supreme Court ruling deeming the public funding of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School unconstitutional. However, advocates in the state are looking to the federal judiciary to rule in favor of funding the school.
“The state judicial system is depriving parents from excellent school options for their children because of their radical ideologies," Ryan Walters, Oklahoma superintendent of public instruction, told the Washington Examiner. "It’s shameful that Oklahoma’s Supreme Court has failed to look at SCOTUS precedent instead of playing politics with Oklahoma students’ education.“
Supporters of the charter school believe the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling does not align with U.S. Supreme Court precedent related to public funds being used for private or religious schools. The Alliance Defending Freedom late last month vowed to take the case to the nation's high court.
Despite rescinding the contract for now, the board included a provision that would reestablish the contract if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of the school. The appeal has not yet been filed, and it is unclear whether the high court would take the case upon appeal.
Republican Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who is behind the legal action against the school's approval for public funding, asked a state court to threaten the board with contempt if they failed to rescind the contract for a fifth time.
“While it is appalling that the board took so long to recognize the authority of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, I am pleased that board members finally fulfilled their duty,” Drummond said in a statement. “The proposed state-sponsored religious charter school, funded by our tax dollars, represents a serious threat to the religious liberty of all four million Oklahomans.”
However, Drummond does not appear to represent the feelings of other officials in Oklahoma. The meeting in which the board voted to rescind the contract was opened by a prayer from the Rev. Stephen Hamilton of the St. Monica Catholic Church. Similarly, officials such as Walters say the state courts are getting in the way of the will of the people of Oklahoma.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“The Supreme Court has failed Oklahomans in their latest dismal ruling against parents and kids," Walters posted on social media. "They have chosen the path of liberal extremism and Marxism by depriving parents of a choice. It’s shameful, but predictable from a failed judicial system. They do not represent conservative Oklahoma values.”
Walters and others in Oklahoma have been moving to incorporate the Bible into public school curriculua as a foundational text in Western society.
Most Popular
Comments / 0