news Activists to challenge separation of church and state with religious public schools

[VOSS]

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Groups aligned with the conservative legal movement and its financial architect, Leonard Leo, are working to promote a publicly funded Christian school in Oklahoma, hoping to create a test case to change the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.

 

At issue is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma’s push to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would be the nation’s first religious school entirely funded by taxpayers. The school received preliminary approval from the state’s charter school board in June. If it survives legal challenges, it would open the door for state legislatures across the country to direct taxpayer funding to the creation of Christian or other sectarian schools.

 

Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, acknowledges that public funding of St. Isidore is at odds with over 150 years of Supreme Court decisions. He said the justices have misunderstood Thomas Jefferson’s intent when he said there should be a wall separating church and state, but that the current conservative-dominated court seems prepared to change course.

 

“Jefferson didn’t mean that the government shouldn’t be giving public benefits to religious communities toward a common goal,” he said. “The court rightly over the last decade or so has been saying, ‘No, look, we’ve got this wrong and we’re gonna right the ship here.’ ”

 

Behind the effort to change the law are Christian conservative groups and legal teams who, over the past decade, have been beneficiaries of the billion-dollar network of nonprofits largely built by Leo, the Federalist Society co-chairman.

 

In Oklahoma, the legal team representing the state’s virtual charter school board, the Alliance Defending Freedom, helped develop arguments that led to the end of Roe v. Wade. It is significantly funded by donor-advised funds that allow their patrons to keep their identities secret but which receive large amounts of money from Leo-aligned groups.

 

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, says the proposed school violates both the U.S. and the state Constitution, and he is suing to stop it. Separately, a group of 10 plaintiffs including public school parents and faith leaders represented by groups including Americans for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit warning that the creation of the school will erode a pillar of American democracy: the wall of separation between church and state.

 

The plaintiffs in that case are calling on the Oklahoma judge presiding over it, C. Brent Dishman, to recuse himself. Dishman sits on the board of the College of the Ozarks, an evangelical college that was represented by ADF in a suit against the Biden administration over transgender bathroom policy.

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[Communion]

Private and charter schools should be banned entirely, not their presence expanded and even more insultingly tax-payer funded. 

[Gaia]

Absolutely not. Many of those states who would benefit from this are states who overwhelmingly benefit from federal government support. 
 

 

[wastedpotential]

The concept of the separation of church and state means different things to different people, as this obviously reflects. To some, the government shouldn't even acknowledge the existence of religion, and to others, all it does is guarantee that whoever is in charge of governing won't force the entire population of their country to convert to their religion. I think the concept of a publicly funded catholic school is stupid, because it's not as if the diocese is poorly funded or poorly attended. This is obviously just Supreme Court bait to try and get 230 years of precedent overturned, but I have the sinking feeling that it's going to work this time.

[moo]

Just end all publicly funded daycare education. Problem solved.

[DAP]

18 minutes ago, moo said:

Just end all publicly funded daycare education. Problem solved.

Nope, utilities shouldn’t be privatized. End all privatization absolutely.  

[Communion]

38 minutes ago, moo said:

Just end all publicly funded daycare education. Problem solved.

Oh you're far-far right, god damn. Crank ****. 

[Espresso]

I’ve always had a cynical take on Pope Francis’ recent opening up to more liberal social mores despite a pissed off subset in the Vatican and it’s an attempt to pre-but the inevitable backlash to rising Dominionism and theocracy-adjacent moves globally. Culturally, Gen Z’s leaving organized religion in droves so if there’s some larger cultural argument Leonard Leo’s trying to force on folks re: Project 2025, good luck. The opposition may be asleep or intensely jaded with disengagement now, but just wait. Of course, too many will wake up when too much damage has already been done, but that’s always been how it is with the left.