Catholic charter school isn't OK in Oklahoma

A proposed Catholic charter school is unconstitutional, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The state can't use public money to fund a religious institution, the ruling said.

St. Isadore of Seville, known for his love of learning, is considered the patron saint of the internet.

"St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would have marked the first time a state directly funded a religious public school," reports Michelle Boorstein in the Washington Post.

It's likely the decision will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Supporters of the school, which was approved last year by the state online charter school board, noted recent Supreme Court rulings that say if states give money to secular schools via vouchers, they can’t discriminate against religious schools," writes Boorstein. "St. Isidore made the same argument about charter schools."

I think that was a stretch, and so did the justices.

"St. Isidore is an instrument of the Catholic Church, operated by the Catholic Church, and will further the evangelizing mission of the Catholic Church in its educational programs,” the court wrote. “Enforcing the St. Isidore contract would create a slippery slope and what the framers’ warned against — the destruction of Oklahomans’ freedom to practice religion without fear of governmental intervention.”

Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, who opposed the school, called the decision a "victory for religious liberty." In a statement, he added: “Now Oklahomans can be assured their tax dollars will not fund the teachings of Sharia Law or even Satanism,” he wrote. “I hope that the people of Oklahoma can rejoice that they will not be compelled to fund radical religious schools that violate their faith.”