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Court: Charter School Can’t Be Publicly Funded if It’s Religious – Win for Separation of Church and State

Left 17% Center coverage: 6 sources Right

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

May 24, 2025 0 Lean left General

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA: The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling barring St. Isidore Catholic Virtual Charter from state funding stands after a final judicial block. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn it, effectively disallowing taxpayer dollars for a religious charter. Civil liberties groups hail it as a vital separation-of-church-and-state victory. Proponents argue it’s unfair that religious institutions can’t receive the same public funds as other charters. However, the decision cements that charters—deemed “public schools”—cannot have sectarian missions. Observers foresee states expanding private vouchers instead.

What this means for you:

•	If you wanted a Catholic public charter option, that route is closed—private religious schools remain legal but funded differently.
•	Public charter boards must remain secular or risk legal shut-down.
•	Communities might see voucher pushes for faith-based education.
•	Civil rights advocates celebrate a reaffirmation of church-state separation; religious freedom advocates call it “exclusionary.”

Key Entities

• Oklahoma Supreme Court (initial bar)
• St. Isidore Catholic Virtual Charter School
• Americans United for Separation of Church & State (supported the suit)
• U.S. Supreme Court (declined to overturn Oklahoma’s decision)

Bias Distribution

Left: 67% (4 sources)

Center: 17% (1 source)

Right: 17% (1 source)

Multi-Perspective Analysis

Left-Leaning View

Celebrates robust separation—no public dollars for religious curricula.

Centrist View

Sees consistent constitutional principle but acknowledges debate on school choice.

Right-Leaning View

Considers it discriminatory against religious expression, urging more voucher systems.

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