In a legal dispute that has been developing for nearly a year, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has addressed the ongoing controversy regarding the relationship between church, state, and education. This comes after the Statewide Charter School Board announced its intention to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over a contentious contract with a religious charter school.
It was back in October of 2023 when Drummond first filed a lawsuit challenging the board's contract with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School. The Oklahoma Supreme Court sided with him this June, blocking what would have been a historic move to establish the nation's first taxpayer-funded, state-sponsored religious public charter school. According to a statement from the Attorney General's office, a similar petition from St. Isidore is expected to be filed later that day.
To support his position, Drummond outlined his views on the role of religious liberty in state-funded education. He stated in the Attorney General's release, "I will continue to vigorously defend the religious liberty of all four million Oklahomans," Drummond proclaimed. "This unconstitutional scheme to create the nation’s first state-sponsored religious charter school will open the floodgates and force taxpayers to fund all manner of religious indoctrination, including radical Islam or even the Church of Satan. My fellow Oklahomans can rest assured that I will always fight to protect their God-given rights and uphold the law," emphasizing the complexities of the separation of church and state.
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