The Supreme Court starts that a case is heard in St. Isidore. First publicly financed religious charter school

The Supreme Court of the United States has planned a hearing for April 30 in a case with regard to the first publicly financed religious charter schools in the country.

Last summer, Oklahoma decided the Higher Court against the Catholic Charter School of the St. Isidore of Seville and explained that it would violate the first change. However, the Catholic diocese and the governor Kevin Stitt claim that the Charter would not allow to violate their religious freedom.

When does Scotus hear the St. Isidore case?

April 30, 2025.

Why was St. Isidore by the Oklahoma Supreme Court decided unconstitutional?

Separation of church and state:

Oklahoma's constitution prohibits public financing, which benefits religious institutions, and charter schools are considered public institutions. (Article II-Bill of Rights, Section II-5)

The conclusion of the Supreme Court:

“According to Oklahoma Law, a charter school is a public school. As such, a charter school has to be non -class. However, St. Isidore will evangelize the Catholic faith as part of his curriculum while sponsored by the state. The constitution of Oklahoma and the establishment clause. Board to collect his contract with St. Isidore.

Legal precedent:

The Attorney General of Oklahoma, Gentner Drummond, argued that other religious groups could demand publicly financed schools, which is right and financial challenges.

Drummond made the following comments on the last June after the judgment of the Supreme Court of the state:

“This decision is an enormous victory for religious freedom. The authors of the US constitution and those who designed the constitution of Oklahoma clearly understood how to best protect religious freedom: by preventing the state from sponsoring a religion at all. Now Oklahomans can be sure that our taxpayers do not finance the teachings of the Sharia law or even satanism. Although I understand that the governor and other politicians are disappointed with this result, I hope that the people in Oklahoma can be happy that they will not be forced to finance radical religious schools that violate their faith. “

Potential federal consequences:

The US Ministry of Education could hold back Oklahoma if it realizes that tax money is used for religious education.

Oklahoma Religious Charter School St. Isidore Timeline

June 2023: Approval of the Catholic Charter School St. Isidore

The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the Catholic Virtual School of St. Isidore of Seville and was the nation's first religious charter school financed by the taxpayer. The decision was mixed with three out of five board members, which despite the concerns about the constitutionality.

October 2023: Attorney General challenges of the legality of a publicly financed religious school school

The Attorney General of Oklahoma, Gentner Drummond, filed a lawsuit against the approval of St. Isidore and argued that she violated the state and the US constitutions. In his lawsuit, a judgment of the Supreme Court was requested to block the contract and force the board to terminate the approval of the school.

October 2023: Political gap over religious charter schools

Governor Kevin Stitt and the state superintendent Ryan Walters supported the school and called them a victory for freedom of religion and school choice

Stitt rejected Drummonds, while Drummond warned that the permission of a religious charter school could create a precedent in which the state has to finance all religious schools, including those with extreme ideologies.

In November 2023, the state superintendent Ryan Walters tried to intervene in the lawsuit, but was rejected by Oklahoma's Supreme Court. Walters argued that the Ministry of Education of the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) should be part of the case because it would monitor and finance St. Isidore.

However, the court decided that Walters had no legal position on this matter.

June 25, 2024: Supreme judicial provisions St. Isidore unconstitutional

Oklahoma's Supreme Court ruled that the approval of the school was unconstitutional and the nationwide Virtual Charter School Board ordered his contract with St. Isidore.

August 2024: contract terminated

On August 12, 2024, the nationwide Virtual Charter School Board unanimously terminated the contract of St. Isidore after the judgment of the Supreme Court. However, the board of directors contained a possible liability that the contract would be automatically restored if the Supreme Court of the United States intervenes and overrules the Supreme Court of Oklahoma.

January 2025: The UK Supreme Court is available to hear the St. Isidore case

The Supreme Court agreed to take over the case in January and to check the decision of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

A hearing for April 30th was determined in February.

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