Can a Religious Charter School Exist? Oklahoma High Court Weighs Arguments

The Oklahoma Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday that it will use to determine the legality of what would be the nation’s first religious charter school, which received approval last year from the state's Virtual Charter School Board. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit in October, claiming that the board’s approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School violates the state’s constitution prohibiting sectarian control of public schools. The state board’s lawyers maintain the law used to approve private schools may not exclude religious schools.