Southwest
Parents and students need school choice, not religious bigotry
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Politicians across the nation claim they want a world-class education system that ensures every child receives the education they deserve.
How we get there is the source of debate. Despite spending hundreds of billions of dollars in recent decades on our public education system, we have very little to show. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. hovers near the middle of the pack internationally in standardized test scores even as other countries have advanced. One report said, “The U.S. struggled the most in math, where 15-year-olds in 29 other countries had higher average scores than Americans.”
This is unacceptable. And while there are a variety of reasons for our education stagnation, we believe that one answer is to provide families more choice, including private, religious schools.
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Parents in Oklahoma have been fighting for more education freedom for decades. One way Oklahoma responded was by expanding access for new and innovative charter schools as alternatives for parents seeking a better education for their children, including offerings such as a French-immersion school.
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide if Oklahoma can let a Catholic school join its charter program. What will the court have to say? FILE: The court is seen on Nov. 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
But Oklahoma’s choice is under attack once again at the United States Supreme Court.
In Oklahoma, we have been battling two different lawsuits trying to destroy faith-based options for parents to choose. The ACLU, Freedom from Religion Foundation and others filed the first suit. Shockingly, the attorney general of Oklahoma, Gentner Drummond, filed the second.
The aim of both suits is to prevent the Statewide Charter School Board and our Oklahoma Department of Education from treating St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School the same as every other applicant who applies to be a charter school simply because it is faith-based. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in the case.
Oklahoma is rural. To ensure parents in rural areas have expanded choices, virtual options are available. We believe in Oklahoma that parents are best positioned to determine the educational needs of their own children and that the Oklahoma Department of Education should give parents as many options as possible to meet a diverse array of needs. Some parents may choose their local school, some parents may choose a brick-and-mortar charter school in their area, some parents may prefer a virtual approach.
St. Isidore applied to be one of those options. They met all the academic criteria we require in Oklahoma to be a qualified option for parents. However, the ACLU and Attorney General Drummond objected, claiming that the state must discriminate against St. Isidore because it is Catholic.
Supporters of school choice responded that we are simply trying to expand options for parents, and we are not allowed to violate the Free Exercise Clause of the United States Constitution.
In fact, we felt bound by prior U.S. Supreme Court decisions prohibiting this kind of religious bigotry in educational choices, including Carson v. Makin, a recent case won by the Institute for Justice and First Liberty Institute against the state of Maine for doing precisely what Drummond is demanding be done here – engaging in religious bigotry against a faith-based educational option.
The argument, advanced by the ACLU and Drummond, is that religious bigotry is enshrined in the Oklahoma Constitution because it has two provisions that work together to prohibit government resources from aiding a faith-based educational program.
These provisions are sometimes called “little Blaine Amendments,” because they harken back to efforts by Senator James Blaine from Maine in the late 19th Century to ensure that no public funds would go to Catholic schools but rather would be reserved to the more Protestant-friendly public schools.
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This effort to ban Catholic schools from receiving any aid is a “doctrine, born of bigotry,” according to Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. It is this bigotry that the ACLU and Drummond are attempting to continue, and it is this bigotry that we intend to end in Oklahoma.
For decades, politicians and activists pointed fingers at each other, each trying to blame another for the educational ills of our home state. Almost every solution offered sounds different and promising, but they usually have the same thing in common – they are government-led solutions.
We are trying to do something different in Oklahoma. We are trying to empower parents to decide for their families and force schools to compete for parents in an open market system. Some parents would like a faith-based option.
St. Isidore applied to be one of those options. They met all the academic criteria we require in Oklahoma to be a qualified option for parents. However, the ACLU and Attorney General Drummond objected, claiming that the state must discriminate against St. Isidore because it is Catholic.
Excluding that option in the name of 19th century religious bigotry is just another political agenda driving education policy.
Instead of fighting against parents and telling them that government officials know what is best for their children, we should instead listen to them. There is hope that the Supreme Court will give us this chance, a chance to take power away from government bureaucrats and give it back to the people.
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction since 2023, is a former high school history teacher and education reform advocate committed to parental empowerment and conservative policy initiatives in public education. Hiram Sasser is executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to defending religious freedom for all.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM HIRAM SASSER
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RYAN WALTERS
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Crowds gather for Turning Point USA event despite rain
Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino says thousands of people are expected to attend a Turning Point USA event at Ole Miss University featuring Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk on ‘America Reports.’
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Texas is joining Oklahoma and Florida in trying to ensure that a Turning Point USA chapter is established at every high school and college within their state.
“I had a long call with Turning Point executives yesterday about putting TPUSA chapters on every high school and college campus in Texas,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted on X on Friday.
Patrick announced that he is pledging $1 million of campaign funds to launch new Turning Point USA Chapters across the Lone Star state.
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Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be speaking at the University of Houston on Tuesday, hosted by the college’s TPUSA chapter, his post on X stated.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be speaking at the University of Houston on Tuesday, hosted by the college’s TPUSA chapter. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“As we wrapped up the call, I shared a fond memory of Charlie from President Trump’s 2017 Inauguration. Charlie and I were going to the Trump Hotel to celebrate and walked in the door at the same time. We began a conversation from there,” he said.
“I committed a million dollars from my campaign to honor that young man from many years ago who shared his dream with me and in hopes others will follow at any amount — whether it’s $10 or much more. He gave his life for his mission. He gave his life for Christ,” Patrick said.
Patrick, who has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump for his re-election campaign, reported over $33.5 million in donations.
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Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University has pushed TPUSA to its greatest prominence yet.
“I was always inspired by his mission ‘to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.’ Charlie was confident he could do that. Later, he brought his faith into his discussions on campus with boldness and conviction that only grew his following,” Patrick said.
Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Patrick added that since Kirk’s death, “over 135,000 requests have been made to start TPUSA chapters.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Texas-based TPUSA field representative Paige Rasmussen cited “unprecedented growth” of TPUSA chapters after Kirk’s assassination in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
TURNING POINT USA SAYS CAMPUS CHAPTER REQUESTS SURGE TO OVER 32,000 AFTER KIRK’S ASSASSINATION
Other states that are seeking to install a TPUSA chapter at every high school and college are Florida and Oklahoma.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a partnership with TPUSA to ensure Club America chapters can be established in any high school in the Sunshine State.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that he is pledging $1 million of campaign funds to launch new Turning Point USA Chapters across the Lone Star state. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters)
In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, a growing number of high-schoolers and college students across the country have stepped up to start TPUSA chapters.
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Southwest
Pritzker says Trump ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard to Illinois, Oregon and other locations
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced on Sunday that President Donald Trump will deploy 400 members of the Texas National Guard to Illinois, Oregon and other locations.
The deployment came as protests against federal law enforcement ramp up across the country, particularly in Portland and Chicago.
In the Windy City, multiple people were arrested in recent days for reportedly ramming their vehicles into DHS and ICE agents’ cars.
After announcing Trump’s deployment on X late Sunday, Pritzker wrote that “no officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.”
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized President Trump’s decision to deploy 400 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois and Oregon. (Getty Images)
“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” the Democratic governor wrote.
“It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.”
Pritzker also disclosed that he called Texas Governor Greg Abbott to “immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate.”
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Police clash with demonstrators during a protest outside an immigrant processing and detention center on Oct. 3, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation,” the governor added.
“The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props. This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.”
In response, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended his decision, writing on X that he had “fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials.”
Law enforcement officers stand in tear gas outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility during a protest on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
He then added that federal and state leaders must “either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let the Texas Guard do it,” while praising the Guard’s “training, skill and expertise.”
Abbott also noted that thousands of Texas National Guard troops have remained along the southern border to assist with security operations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed the U.S. is “on the brink of martial law.”
In recent days, large numbers of protesters have rioted against immigration enforcement actions across the country. ICE shared a video of a Portland protester being wheeled into custody on Sunday.
ICE shared a video showing a suspect being rolled away on a flatbed cart in Portland, Oregon. (@ICEgov via X)
In Broadview, Illinois, on Friday, more than a dozen people were arrested by federal agents during protests at an ICE processing facility. Agents were seen firing pepper balls, tear gas and rubber bullets to clear crowds.
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One person is dead after a shooting on a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train Sunday night, marking the second deadly incident on the Texas train system in the past week.
The shooting happened near the Pearl/Arts District Station on Bryan Street around 7 p.m., according to FOX 4.
DART police responded after a caller reported an active shooter at the station, the outlet reported. One person was found dead from a gunshot wound on the train.
Details surrounding the incident are limited, but FOX 4 reported a suspect is in custody.
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Police responded to the DART train near Pearl/Arts District Station on Bryan Street after a passenger was shot and killed. (Jordan Bickerstaff via FOX 4)
Fox News Digital reached out to DART for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
The deadly shooting comes less than a week after a man was killed on the DART train last Monday. DART police responded to the Market Center Station on Harry Hines Boulevard at around 10:15 p.m., FOX 4 reported on Wednesday.
Daniel Tom Gormley, 53, was found inside a train car with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene after first responders attempted life-saving measures.
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One person is dead after a shooting on a DART train in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Jordan Bickerstaff via FOX 4)
Gormley was a Marine veteran, according to a GoFundMe page aimed at helping the family pay for funeral costs.
“He was a victim of a senseless act of violence while aboard a train in Dallas, Texas, and was taken from us far too soon,” the fundraiser reads. “Our family is heartbroken and completely unprepared for the financial burden of planning a funeral and managing the associated costs. We are reaching out to our community for support during this devastating time.”
Daniel Tom Gormley, 53, was shot and killed on a DART train in Dallas on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (GoFundMe)
A DART rail operator reported to police that Gormley told the suspect to get off the train before the suspect fired a gun three times, according to FOX 4. It’s unclear what led to the exchange.
Gormley’s accused killer was identified as Christopher Clemson Akins and was taken into custody quickly, police said.
DART Police Chief Charles Cato said last Wednesday that such incidents are “extremely rare” and “taken very seriously.”
“DART Police remain deeply committed to the safety of our riders, employees, and the communities we serve,” Cato said, via FOX 4.
DART is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, offering multiple travel options: Light Rail, Trinity Railway Express commuter rail, bus routes, GoLink on-demand services and paratransit services.
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