Oklahoma
Supreme Court takes up case over proposed Oklahoma Catholic charter school – OSV News
14
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The U.S. Supreme Court said Jan. 24 it would take up a case concerning the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City’s effort to establish the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school if it survives the challenge.
If the high court ultimately sides with the school, the case could result in allowing public dollars to directly fund religious schools for the first time, a departure from longstanding norms about legal interpretation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
A state school board in Oklahoma had voted in June 2023 to approve an application by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City to establish the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual School. Proponents of that effort argued the proposed Catholic school met all criteria for approval as a charter school and should not be discriminated against for its religious identity. But some education activists and other opponents called it a violation of the separation of church and state, and objected to the use of public funds for the school, filing a lawsuit asking a state court to block the funds.
The case placed the state’s governor and attorney general — both Republicans — at odds over the school board’s decision to provide taxpayer funds for the Catholic school, with the governor backing the effort but the attorney general calling it unconstitutional.
State supreme court ruled against school
In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled the state contract with the religious school was in violation of state laws, the state constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
Justice James Winchester wrote in the majority opinion that state law requires a public charter school to be nonsectarian, arguing that the Oklahoma Constitution prohibits the state from using public money for the benefit or support of any religious institution. A 2016 ballot measure in the state would have repealed that measure, but voters rejected that effort. But supporters of the effort appealed to the nation’s highest court.
John Meiser, associate clinical professor and director of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic at the University of Notre Dame, which is representing the school, said in a Jan. 24 statement that the court’s decision “to hear this case underscores the critical rights at stake for educators of all faiths and families across Oklahoma.”
“We are proud to continue to work to ensure that St. Isidore may fulfill its mission to serve children and communities in need by bringing a vital new educational opportunity to all families in Oklahoma,” Meiser said.
School, archdiocese grateful high court has taken case
In a December court filing, Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond argued the state’s supreme court ruled correctly in the case, and that further arguing the case could backfire on the school, as it would give the state oversight of its Catholic curriculum.
If the pope were to issue “an Encyclical Letter or a Third Vatican Council,” Drummond argued, it “could create material expansions or revisions of Catholic doctrine.”
“Under the charter, (St. Isidore) would be prohibited from instructing students on such teachings unless and until the State approves of the Church’s new teachings,” he said.
Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said in a statement provided to OSV News, “St. Isidore and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma are grateful the U.S. Supreme Court has taken on this religious liberty case.”
“We look forward to the opportunity to present the case in the highest court in the land, with the hope we can soon provide a premium, virtual Catholic education to Oklahoma families,” the statement said.
The court indicated Justice Amy Coney Barrett will recuse herself from the case. No official reason was given for her decision, but Barrett was previously a law professor at Notre Dame.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Follow
NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
Follow
Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
-
Detroit, MI24 minutes agoChris Simms projects Detroit Lions first-round NFL draft pick
-
San Francisco, CA36 minutes agoSan Francisco sets $3.4B price tag for public takeover of PG&E
-
Dallas, TX42 minutes agoGame Day Guide: Stars at Wild | Dallas Stars
-
Miami, FL48 minutes agoMay a steadying presence as Cards hold off Marlins in Miami
-
Boston, MA54 minutes agoTyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoMotorcyclist seriously injured in Denver hit-and-run crash – AOL
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoBrock: 2 drafts fits at edge rusher for Seattle Seahawks
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoJoseph Allen Oviatt – San Diego Union-Tribune