Lawyers Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Review Ruling Against Oklahoma’s First Publicly Funded Religious School
Lawyers representing the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit involving what would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious school.
The move comes three months after the school’s contract was ruled unconstitutional.
The law group Alliance Defending Freedom announced Monday it had petitioned the nation’s high court to review a decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court regarding the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School.
State Attorney General Gentner Drummond originally filed the lawsuit a year ago and successfully argued to the state supreme court that Oklahoma law prevents taxpayer dollars from going to sectarian institutions.
In a statement released Monday, Drummond vowed to keep fighting, should the U.S. Supreme Court take it up.
“This unconstitutional scheme to create the nation’s first state-sponsored religious charter school will open the floodgates and force taxpayers to fund all manner of religious indoctrination, including radical Islam or even the Church of Satan," Drummond wrote.
The Supreme Court’s term began Monday.
Parole Board Advances Wayne Thompson’s Case
After decades without success, Oklahoma prisoner Wayne Thompson is one step closer to getting a second chance at freedom following this week’s parole board meeting.
Thompson has spent more than 40 years in prison for a crime he committed when he was 15.
For years, every time Thompson is eligible for parole, his case has not made it past the first stage of consideration.
This week’s Pardon and Parole Board meeting had a different outcome.
Based on a review of documents about his case, the board approved Thompson to move forward. He received four 'yes' votes from the five-member board, solidifying his opportunity to appear before them in December.
Board members will get to speak directly with Thompson and ask questions about his rehabilitation.
If Thompson gets another recommendation from the board, Gov. Kevin Stitt will have sole discretion to grant his parole.
Oklahoma Ranks Second Nationwide for Proposed 'Educational Gag Orders,' New Study Reveals
Oklahoma ranks among the top in at least one academic metric: censorship. A new study shows Oklahoma lawmakers have proposed the second most “Educational Gag Orders” in the country since 2021.
The term Educational Gag Order — as used in the report by the writing and free expression group, PEN — refers to a piece of legislation that restricts discussion of a certain topic in an academic setting.
Jeremy Young co-wrote the report on these gag orders:
"So these include bills like the Stop Woke Act in Florida in 2022, which banned the divisive concept in both K-12 and higher education. It could include things like the Don't Say gay bill, also in Florida in 2022," said Young.
And Oklahoma’s House Bill 1775 passed in 2021, which prohibits certain discussions of sex, gender and race and identity in schools across the state.
That bill is one of 30 proposed educational censorship measures in Oklahoma since 2021. Only lawmakers in Missouri topped that. They’ve proposed 46 educational gag orders.
Oklahoma Task Force 1 Aids in Ongoing Search and Rescue Efforts in Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Residents in the eastern U.S. are still recovering after Hurricane Helene’s devastation.
Oklahoma Task Force 1 has been on the ground in North Carolina continuing the search efforts.
The task force began their work more than a week ago in North Carolina.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department told KFOR that the team is conducting surveys and searching through debris by foot, boats, and ATVs.
They say the team recognizes the role it plays in North Carolina’s Emergency Response.
Officials told KFOR the task force expects to continue their rescue efforts for another week before returning home.
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