Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 to approve what would be the first taxpayer-funded religious school in the nation, setting up a likely legal battle over the separation of church and state.
Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office said Monday that the board's approval of the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma's application to establish the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School is "unconstitutional and that legal action is likely after a contract for the school is signed."
The proposed public Catholic charter school would be online and open to Oklahoma students in kindergarten through grade 12.
In its application for the charter school, the archdiocese said, "The Catholic school participates in the evangelizing mission of the Church and is the privileged environment in which Christian education is carried out," according to The Associated Press.
Catholic Conference of Oklahoma Executive Director Brett Farley celebrated the board's vote and said his group is "elated."
Rachel Laser, the president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said: "It’s hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public-school families than the state establishing the nation’s first religious public charter school.
She also said her group is considering "possible legal action to fight this decision and defend the separation of church and state."
Some states have programs that give vouchers and tax credits to parents with children in private schools. Additionally, some public money goes to religious schools through various programs. However, the proposed school in Oklahoma is different because it would be fully government-funded.
