Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules that Catholic Charter School Violates Oklahoma and U.S. Constitutions

No public funds for "sectarian" schools in the Sooner State

Napa Legal published my article about the Oklahoma Supreme Court's June decision holding that a Catholic charter school, St. Isidore, cannot constitutionally operate in the state and also receive public funds. Review by the Supreme Court of the United States is not assured, but it is possible. Here’s the opening:

On June 25, 2024, the nine-member Oklahoma Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Drummond ex rel. State v. Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board. The six-justice majority’s opinion, just over 26 pages, answers the important question of whether St. Isidore of Seville—a Catholic, virtual, K-12 charter school (the School)—can contract with the state’s Charter School Board (the Board) to operate with public funding in the State of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the arrangement between the School and the Board (the Contract) was unconstitutional under the Oklahoma Constitution, as well as under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Only one justice, Dana Kuehn, dissented.

Read the rest at Napa’s blog.