Kevin Stitt, who earlier this year signed a bill that would give parents in the state a tax incentive to send their children to private schools, including religious schools, praised the boards vote. The Oklahoma Private School Accreditation Commission, OPSAC, assists the Oklahoma State Board of Education by monitoring and approving organizations that accredit nonpublic (private) elementary and secondary schools in Oklahoma. * Use the following credit line at the end of the story, with oklahomawatch.org hyperlinked online: Oklahoma Watch, atoklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state., by Jennifer Palmer, Oklahoma Watch February 16, 2023, This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. 2023 Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. 04/11/2023 07:22 PM EDT. "If the board were to grant this application, it would for the first time permit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund religious education at a public charter school," said Lori Walke with the Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ OKC. The board has until late April to approve or deny the proposal. 270. China scrambles fighter jets as U.S. Navy plane flies through Taiwan Strait, Biden authorizes military to order up reservists for active duty in Europe, Flower drawings 'vital' to development of Kew Gardens in London at risk of leaving Britain. Most of Oklahoma Watchs content is available for republication by other news media in print and digital form. This is a sea change for American democracy.. The schools supporters said it was fairly normal for the board which has given the archdiocese 30 days to revise the application to reject such bids on their first attempt. The unconstitutional and illegal aspects of St. Isidores application remain unchanged, in the revised document, the letter said. "The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is trying to make charter schools into something they are not.". A charter authorizer has endorsed a statewide virtual school, which will be run by a Roman Catholic archdiocese and diocese. "There was an AG opinion," said the counsel for the board. The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 in favor of approving the school's application. Oklahomas current attorney general, Gentner Drummond, a Republican, has advised that there is a clear directive under the state constitution that public schools be operated free from sectarian control, and a state statute requiring that charter schoolswhich are publicly funded schools operated independently of traditional school districtsbe nonsectarian.. The board has until late April to approve or deny the proposal. In Oklahoma on Monday, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved what would be the nation's first religious charter school. Because [charter] schools are private actors, Oklahoma may not prohibit them from being religious.. "Supporters of the board said the school would give families more school choice options. Oklahoma could have nation's first publicly funded Catholic charter schools Researchers who have studied the evolution of charter schools over two decades find that their performance has improved over time. Updated: June 6, 2023 - 10:48am Article Dig In 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. The archdiocese now has 30 days to make modifications to their proposal before the next vote. However, the proposed school in Oklahoma is different because it would be fully government-funded. She was wrapped in a blanket, placenta still attached and placed . "If the board were to grant this application, it would for the first time permit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund religious education at a public charter school," said Lori Walke with the Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ OKC. Board rejects proposal to build public Catholic charter school The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, a state school board in Oklahoma, voted Monday, June 5, to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious charter school in the nation, despite Drummond previously warning the board that such a decision violates the Oklahoma Constitution. Some have also raised concerns that such a school, which explicitly plans to hire Catholic teachers, would be free to break civil rights law, including possibly discriminating against religious minorities and LGBTQ people. YES. Over the past six years, a conservative U.S. Supreme Court has issued three rulings that religious institutions could not be excluded from taxpayer-funded programs that were available to others. WE GOT THE APPLICATION AND THEN THINGS HAVE CHANGED. give parents in the state a tax incentive. Thu., August 17, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. The archdiocese said St. Isidore of Seville, the proposed virtual Catholic charter school, would derive its original characteristics from its Catholic identity and operate as a genuine instrument of the religion. He noted that the new law keeps language requiring charter schools to be nonsectarian and not affiliated with a religious institution. The high court recently issued rulings that loosened restrictions on public funding of religious schools and interests, in decisions that critics say blur the line between church and state. The online charter school would be run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the. State Accredited School and District Directories Download or browse contact information for OSDE-accredited June 5 (UPI) -- Oklahoma approved the first religious public charter school in the country on Monday, allowing St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School to be publicly funded. ET. But it isnt possible without your support. The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 on Monday to establish St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, a decision that kicks off what could be years of litigation. Special counsel pushes back on Trump's request to delay documents trial. July 14 (UPI) -- The Department of Education said Friday it would begin notifying more than 804,000 borrowers that they will have a total of $39 billion in student loan debt forgiven. The online public charter school would be open to students across the state in kindergarten through grade 12. Im a hard no, Franklin said. SUPPORTERS OF THE BOARD SAY THE SCHOOL WOULD GIVE FAMILIES MORE SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Its hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public-school families than the state establishing the nations first religious public charter school, Rachel Laser, the president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement. There are seven private school agencies that have been recognized by OPSAC and by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. ET. Catholic Schools Office - Archdiocese of Oklahoma City - Oklahoma City, OK Archbishop Paul S. Coakley Sooner Catholic Put Out Into the Deep Clergy Abuse Report and Information Priests SUPPORT CATHOLIC SCHOOLS HERE Why should you choose Catholic schools? Catholic schools mostly serve Oklahoma's large metropolitan areas, and the archdiocese would like to expand into rural communities through virtual education, said Lara Schuler, senior director for Catholic education at the Oklahoma City archdiocese. She also said her group is considering "possible legal action to fight this decision and defend the separation of church and state.". The state official in charge of Oklahoma's schools is facing calls for impeachment, after he said teachers should tell students that the Tulsa race massacre was not racially motivated. OKLAHOMA CITY -- A state school board in Oklahoma voted Monday to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious school in the nation, despite a warning from the state's attorney general that the decision was unconstitutional. Speaking against the proposal, Kenneth Upton, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said if approved, the school would erase fundamental safeguards ensuring students and citizens can choose their own religion. Posted on June 6, 2023. | MORE | Oklahoma AG withdraws predecessor's opinion supporting Catholic charter schoolThe board came up with a list of deficiencies in the proposal. Man dies after trench collapses on him in Holdenville, police say, 51-year-old woman dies after crashing into back of semitrailer in southern Oklahoma, OHP says, Victim taken to hospital after machete attack at Plaza Inn in Oklahoma City, police say, Years-long federal investigation leads to black market marijuana bust in Oklahoma City, Congestion, delays expected on I-40 as long-awaited project begins in Oklahoma City, Shocking videos of Deer Creek students beating dogs catches attention, concern from PETA. State Public School and District Directories | Oklahoma State Nina Rees, the president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a Washington group that is a leading advocate for the charter school movement, issued a statement critical of the Catholic charter schools approval. Please follow these terms for republication: * Reporters bylines and photographers credit lines should be accompanied by Oklahoma Watch.. article ul li { list-style: disc; padding: 5px 0; } Education Watch: Catholic Leaders' Public School - Oklahoma Watch Featured Review: Alum says Cascia Hall is an extremely prestigious school where you can succeed in the classroom, field, or courts. This story has been corrected to show the name of the virtual charter is St. Isidore of Seville, not St. Isodore. Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide elementary, middle, high school and more. "Our contention is it's a distinction without a difference, and it's our view that, given Supreme Court precedent, that argument will hold up," he said.