For the first time in American history. Government funding for a religious school

WASHINGTON — In a move deemed unconstitutional by some and likely to face legal and constitutional challenges and questions about the role of religion in U.S. society and politics, Oklahoma's Catholic diocese overcame a major hurdle Monday in its efforts to establish the first government-funded seminary in U.S. history.

The Oklahoma State School Board voted to approve the request to establish a government-funded religious school, despite state Attorney General Gentner Drummond's warning that the decision was unconstitutional.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma has applied for a (virtual distance school) called St. Isidore, which will be available to pupils across the state from kindergarten through the end of high school.

Oklahoma State School Board voted to approve a request to establish a government-funded religious school (CNN)

Education and evangelization

"The new Catholic school participates in the mission of evangelizing the church, which is the privileged environment in which catechesis takes place," the Archdiocese of Oklahoma said in its application. Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Congress of Oklahoma, was pleased with the decision, saying, "We are elated that the council agreed to our need and our request to establish the nation's first independent religious school."

Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt praised the House vote, which earlier this year signed a bill that would give parents in the state a tax incentive to send their children to religious schools.

"This is a victory for religious freedom and freedom of education in our great state, and I am encouraged by these efforts to give parents more choices when it comes to educating their children," Stett said in a statement.

The school will be free for students from kindergarten through grade 12 and is funded like any other public school in Oklahoma.

The school is expected to open its doors for the 2024-2025 school year, accept 500 students in its early stages, and will mainly serve the children of rural Catholic families living far from areas that provide Catholic education.

Experts point to the possibility of discriminatory policies, as admission to public schools should not be linked to pupils' faith, and the school responds by saying that it will not require pupils to be Catholic, despite acknowledging that students will indulge in Catholic religious beliefs.

Laura Schuller, director of Catholic education at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma, and Archdiocesan Chancellor Michael Scaperlanda during the presentation of the school's proposal (Washington Post)

Expected opposition

The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma prohibits the teaching of denominational or religious doctrine in charter public schools, and the text states that "an independent school shall be non-denominational in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other processes. The state may not allow the existence of an independent school or program affiliated with a non-public sectarian school or religious institution."

"Approving any religious school funded by government funds is contrary to Oklahoma law and is not in the taxpayer's interest. It is deeply disappointing that members of the Oklahoma State School Board violated their oath in order to fund religious schools with our tax dollars. In doing so, these members exposed themselves and the mandate to potentially costly legal action."

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State also denounced the council's approval and said it was hard to think of a clearer violation of religious freedom for Oklahoma taxpayers and public school families from the state, which is establishing the nation's first independent public religious school.

The organization vowed to take all possible legal measures to fight the decision and defend the separation of church and state promised by both the Oklahoma state and the U.S. Constitution.

The Diocese of Tulsa & the Archdiocese of Oklahoma Have been approved for 1st publicly funded religious charter school in the U.S

The executive director of the Catholic Conference stated this will likely prompt "years of litigation"

But they are "prepared for the long road". pic.twitter.com/TnPmaxigB9

— Popitics (@Popitics1) June 7, 2023

Complex school system

Of the 49 million American students attending nearly 116,3 schools at various educational levels, nearly 5.20 million are enrolled in more than 330,88 private religious schools, employing 15,<> teachers. Of these, <> are private Islamic schools with nearly <>,<> students and nearly <>,<> teachers, according to a U.S. Department of Education report.

Each state oversees its education system, and in many cases responsibilities belong to the provinces within each state.

Religious schools are private schools that do not receive government funding from either the state or federal governments. Some states allow some families to be provided with financial coupons, which they can use to pay part of their children's tuition fees.

America has a wide religious diversity among its population of nearly 332 million last year, of which 71 percent are Christians, including 21 percent Catholics, the rest are Protestants and some other denominations, while Jews 1.9 percent, Muslims 1 percent, Hindus 0.07 percent, Buddhists 0.08 percent, and atheists nearly 15 percent.

U.S. Constitution

The legal battle could test the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the government from enacting any law of a religious nature and prohibits the government from enacting policies that favor one religion over another.

The U.S. Constitution contains no mention of the word god, God, or gods, and the word religion was used only to emphasize that citizens should not be discriminated against on the basis of their beliefs.

Years later, the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted to ensure that Congress would in no way enact a religious-based law.

American society is the most developed society that is rapidly moving toward more religiosity, despite the secularism of the political system.

A recent Pew Research Center poll found that the COVID-19 outbreak has fueled feelings of faith in many American people, with half praying to God to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The U.S. Supreme Court, which has a majority of conservatives, has expanded religious rights in recent years, with abortion at the top of such cases in which the court has taken positions along religious grounds.