First ever religious charter school to be backed by taxpayer funds in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma state attorney general is threatening legal action against the Oklahoma State Virtual Charter School Board after board members voted on Monday to approve a Catholic charter school, which became the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the nation.

The Board voted 3-2 to approve St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic Charter School, an online Catholic school that will open in late 2024 for kindergarten to 12th-grade students. Roughly 500 students will be allowed to enroll, according to BBC News.

"We are elated that the board agreed with our argument and application for the nation's first religious charter school," said Brett Farley, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma.

Republican Governor Kevin Stitt said the school's approval is a huge "win for religious liberty and education freedom in our great state".

"Oklahomans support religious liberty for all and support an increasingly innovative educational system that expands choice," Gov. Stitt said.

However, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has threatened legal action over the decision and said in a statement on Monday that it's "contrary to Oklahoma law".

"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," Drummond said.

A non-profit advocacy group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State released a statement indicating that they plan to "take all possible legal action to fight this decision and defend the separation of church and state that's promised in both the Oklahoma and US Constitutions."