The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the debate on Wednesday in the case of a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma seeking public funding support.
Saint Isidor, Sebil Catholic Virtual School, is the country’s first religious charter school, setting precedents brought by other religious institutions. Republicans, Oklahoma Supreme Court and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, have allegedly funded the school as unconstitutional.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is also a Republican, claiming that the first amendment allows funding for schools.
For a Supreme Court hearing Wednesday, the St. Isidor case was merged with another similar case, the Oklahoma State Charter School Board.
James Lankford, R. Okra, Josh Hawley, R-mo. , Kevin Cramer, RN.D. , Ted Budd, RN.C. and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, filed an Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in favour of schools that support schools in the brief. Amendment by rejecting St. Isidor to the Charter as it is a religious school.
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The Supreme Court hears debate on Wednesday regarding the establishment of the country’s first religious charter school. (Anna Money Maker)
“It’s no secret that parents want to educate their children in line with their values. And the public interest should not be denied by people based on their religion. The outcome of this incident is revolutionary for religious freedom and education, and Oklahoma is at the forefront.”
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The Oklahoma-wide Virtual Charter School Board approved St. Issidor’s contract request in June 2023 and was able to receive public funds. The lawsuit quickly took the case to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, opposed the school last year.
The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the Supreme Court decision in Oklahoma and found that funding the school violates the establishment provisions of the First Amendment.
R-Okla, Gov. Kevin Stitt (left) and Oklahoma Attorney General Drummond (right) disagree about whether the initial amendment allows the Oklahoma-wide charter school boards to allow public funding for Sebille Catholic Charter Schools. (Getty/AP)
“Charter schools definitely offer important educational innovations, but they have all the classic indicators of public schools,” Drummond argued in Scotts’ submission.
School supporters point to the freedom movement clauses used in recent Supreme Court decisions to defend public funding for religious institutions.
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“The state doesn’t need to subsidize private education,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in 2020 in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. “But when the state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools just because they are religion.”
US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) and Associate Justice (LR) Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh stand on the floor of the house ahead of the Union’s annual speech. (Getty Images)
Amicus’ briefs from GOP lawmakers made a similar argument, arguing that the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling was not considered.
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“Supporting the Oklahoma Charter School Act, which involves exclusion of religious groups, would set a dangerous precedent that shows religious groups are not welcome in public projects. This would not only violate the First Amendment, but would also rob society of the valuable contributions that these organizations have made,” the Republican senator wrote.
Deirdre Heavey from Fox News contributed to this report
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter for Fox News Digital, covering national politics and major broken news events. Submit your tip to anders.hagstrom@fox.com or via Twitter: @hagstrom_anders.
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