CV NEWS FEED // A lawsuit seeking to prevent the opening of the first state-funded Catholic charter school in the nation will move forward, following a June 5 decision from an Oklahoma district judge.
District Judge Richard Ogden, who threw out only one of the four primary arguments against the school, stated in his decision that the plaintiffs in Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee v. Statewide Virtual Charter School Board had presented sufficient cause for the suit, according to local reports.
The plaintiffs claim that the school’s religious founding “will lead to discrimination against LGBTQ+ students and staff and that its founding documents fail to show how it would adequately accommodate students with disabilities.” The judge dismissed the claim that the school had failed to submit a pledge to follow nondiscrimination requirements. Ogden emphasized that the decision to allow the case to move forward did not reflect “any type of ruling regarding substantive arguments.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board on June 5, 2023, voted 3-2 in favor of opening St Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.
However, Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit within days against the Board over its decision to partner with faith-based educators.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys representing the Board filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit in September 2023, and again in March 2024, arguing that the “plaintiffs lack standing and have no legal basis to bring private claims under the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act and the board’s rules.”
“Oklahoma parents are best served when they have more options, not fewer,” ADF Senior Counsel Phil Sechler stated, noting the First Amendment grounds that support the school’s existence.
The case will have a three-day hearing July 24-26, which will consider arguments over whether the school will be prevented from opening or receiving state funds. The Oklahoma Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case.
If the school is permitted to open this August, it will be the first state-funded religious charter school.
