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The Oklahoma attorney general filed a lawsuit, claiming the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School, which would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school, violates the state’s religious liberty protections. (OSV News/Chris Porter, courtesy of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma) The attorney general of Oklahoma has filed a lawsuit against the nation’s first religious charter school, claiming its establishment violates the state’s religious liberty protections. State Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, announced the lawsuit in a press release on his website on Oct. 20. He filed the challenge in the Oklahoma State Supreme Court. The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board had earlier this month approved the contract of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The board in June had approved the school’s application, with this month’s contract approval clearing another hurdle for the school’s projected opening next year. Charter schools are special publicly funded education institutions; the National Charter School Resource Center defines a “charter school” as a public “school of choice,” one that remains “publicly accountable” while still retaining autonomy in how it is run and managed. In his press release, Drummond said the contract approval “violated the religious liberty of every Oklahoman” […]