A long-expected lawsuit has arrived to fight the creation of the country’s first religious charter school . The case, filed Monday in Oklahoma County District Court, kicks off likely years of litigation to examine the possibility of publicly funded religious schools, starting with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee, a non-partisan public school advocacy group, joins nine other parents, faith leaders and public education advocates in filing the lawsuit. They contend a Catholic charter school would contradict state law and asked a district judge to block St. Isidore of Seville from opening and receiving state funds. “You can’t use people’s tax dollars to promote or establish religion,” one of the plaintiffs, the Rev. Lori Walke, told The Oklahoman. “That’s what is being attempted right now.” Election 2024: Who is running for president in 2024 election? Closer look at every candidate so far. Catholic officials contend charter schools are private schools, despite their reliance on taxpayer dollars, and a faith-based institution shouldn’t be excluded from the state’s charter-school funding. Critics argue the concept of a government-funded religious school violates the separation of church and state and could result in discrimination against certain groups. […]
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