Should taxpayers fund religious schools?

Oklahoma approved the nation’s first public religious charter school. What could this mean for the separation of church and state?

Wood Christian cross laying on a vintage wood desk with a stack of grey, red and navy blue books, a red apple and a pen and pencil
(Image credit: Kara Gebhardt / Getty Images)

A school board in Oklahoma recently voted to approve public funding for a Catholic virtual charter school run by local dioceses. When it opens next year, St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic Charter School, named after the patron saint of the internet, will be the nation's first publicly funded religious charter school. Its approval has raised concerns about constitutionality.

"The approval of any publicly funded religious school is contrary to Oklahoma law and not in the best interest of taxpayers," said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Is he right?

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.