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CV NEWS FEED // Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case in which the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the state’s charter school board could not authorize a contract with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School because it’s Catholic.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in June that the first Catholic charter school in the United States, St. Isidore of Seville, was “unconstitutional,” which resulted in the state canceling its contract with the school, CatholicVote reported. The religious nature of the school was cited as the sole reason for the ruling.
“The nation’s high court has repeatedly held that religious groups cannot be excluded from generally available programs solely because of their religious character,” the ADF stated in an October 7 news release.
St. Isidore of Seville, as a private charter school, would have been eligible to receive taxpayer funding from the state while maintaining its independence from state control.
“The U.S. Constitution protects St. Isidore’s freedom to operate according to its faith and supports the board’s decision to approve such learning options for Oklahoma families,” ADF Senior Counsel Phil Sechler stated in the October 7 announcement.
He added, “Protecting the freedom of St. Isidore and other charter schools to operate according to their beliefs bolsters religious freedom across Oklahoma, which is why we are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take this important case.”
