1st public funded religious school opens in U.S.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Authorities in Oklahoma have approved an application to open the first publicly funded Catholic school.
The approval has sparked a debate over the separation of church and state. Also, the issue is whether public money can be used to provide religious education.
The online school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, will impart religious teachings.
It is operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.
After nearly a three-hour meeting, Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School board approved the school by a narrow 3-2 vote.
The board is made up of members appointed by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who supports religious charter schools.
Republican lawmakers have increasingly advocated for alternatives to public schools.
They advocate for tax credits and subsidies for parents to cover the cost of private education, often at religious schools.
The government has partially funded religious schools – notably Hasidic Jewish schools in New York City. But St. Isidore would be the first fully funded religious school by the government.
There are reports that Hasidic schools teach little English and math and no science or history.
An investigation conducted by The New York Times last year found that students in these schools were systematically denied basic education. The newspaper also revealed that students in these schools were also regularly slapped, punched, and kicked.
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