CV NEWS FEED // The U.S. Supreme Court has set a date to hear oral arguments in a lawsuit that centers on the proposed opening of the country’s first Catholic online charter school.
CatholicVote previously reported that although St. Isidore of Seville Catholic School was initially approved in 2023 by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, it was opposed by Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond because of its religiosity. As a charter school, St. Isidore would have received taxpayer funding but been operated privately, unlike a public school, which receives federal funds and does not operate independently.
Drummond sued in 2023 to stop the school from opening, calling it a violation of separation of church and state. Lower courts, including the Oklahoma Supreme Court, have sided with Drummond. According to Alliance Defending Freedom, the nonprofit law firm representing St. Isidore, the state Supreme Court ruled that the school “violates state and federal law” in allowing taxpayers to fund a religiously affiliated school.
For its part, St. Isidore alleges religious discrimination, arguing that it is being stopped from operating in the state because it is a Catholic institution established by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma and the Diocese of Tusla.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed in January to hear the case. Oklahoma Voice reported that the Supreme Court recently set April 30 as the date to hear oral arguments.
“Justices will consider two primary questions. The first is whether a privately run charter school truly represents an arm of the state when providing a free education while chiefly relying on taxpayer funds,” Oklahoma Voice reported, adding that the second question deals with whether or not St. Isidore’s claim of religious discrimination is valid.
In a January news release, ADF Chief Legal Counsel Jim Campbell expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case.
“Oklahoma parents and children are better off with more educational choices, not fewer. There’s great irony in state officials who claim to be in favor of religious liberty discriminating against St. Isidore because of its Catholic beliefs,” he stated. “The U.S. Constitution protects St. Isidore’s freedom to operate according to its faith and supports the board’s decision to approve such learning options for Oklahoma families.”
According to Oklahoma Voice, the lawsuit could be a “test case for the separation of church and state.”