Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President for State Advocacy and Support at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, released the following statement regarding the recently filed legal challenge against a charter contract for a religious public school in Oklahoma:
“The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools supports Oklahoma’s Attorney General in this challenge to safeguard public education. We support preserving the original intent and legal status of public charter schools to protect the constitutional rights of the students and teachers who choose these unique public schools. Charter schools are public schools and are state actors for the purposes of protecting students’ federal constitutional rights.
“The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is trying to make charter schools into something they are not. Public charter schools are required to follow state and federal law, are prohibited from teaching religion, and must accept all students who seek to attend.
“We vehemently oppose the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board’s approval of a charter contract for a religious charter school. We will work with our state and federal partners, families, and public education advocates to ensure that all students who wish to attend a high-quality, public school continue to have that option.”