U.S. Supreme Court should allow Oklahoma to have a religious charter school | Opinion

Oklahoma families will be closely following arguments in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond on April 30 at the U.S. Supreme Court. The case will determine whether states will be free to provide more innovative solutions to improve education for the benefit of all families and for our nation’s future.

I don’t know anyone who believes that our education system cannot and should not be improved. Oklahoma continues to rank near the bottom in educational outcomes. There really is no good excuse to continue letting our children down. That is why I serve as chairman of the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board, and it is why we have taken this case to the high court through our attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom.

Expanding choices for parents gives them the power to decide the best educational fit for their children, and it creates the kind of competition that improves the quality of education across the board. As the father of twins who have very different learning styles and who have been in various schools, I know first-hand the importance of options and why one-size-fits-all education doesn’t work.

The beauty of the charter system is that it pushes the boundaries of preconceived ideas to imagine what is possible. In states where charter schools are thriving, traditional public schools are doing better than they were before charters existed. It should be no surprise that children actually learn much better in the environment that matches their needs.

Our children have nothing to lose and much to gain by being presented with as many strong educational options as possible.

And if those options — like St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School — are made available virtually, so that children can log on for classes from any corner of the state, so much the better.

St. Isidore is a private, religious, nonprofit organization founded by two Catholic dioceses. It is fully operated by a privately selected board that sets the school’s curriculum, policies and operational decisions, while contracting with the state to receive per-pupil funding.

What’s more, as a virtual school, St. Isidore would offer a high-quality, no-tuition, robust academic curriculum, along with Catholic education to any student in the state no matter their location or faith background. No child is required to be Catholic — or of any faith — to enroll, and no child can be excluded if space is available. Currently, no other school in the state can offer what St. Isidore planned to provide to Oklahoma families.

For these reasons and more, St. Isidore had quickly drawn notice from more than 200 families who want to enroll their children in the school. But those families will have to wait for the Supreme Court to rule to know whether they will be able send their children to St. Isidore.

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