Statement from NACSA President & CEO, M. Karega Rausch, Ph.D. on today’s Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that the decision from the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board (SVCSB) to approve an application to establish the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School as a religious charter school is unconstitutional.

“Today we applaud the Oklahoma Supreme Court for affirming that charter schools are public schools. As an organization grounded in accountability, NACSA has and will always have an imperative to protect student and public interests, which this decision also does.

“Proposals for new learning opportunities that do not protect student and public interests should not be public charter schools. And we are glad to see that the Oklahoma Supreme Court agrees that charter school authorizers have a clear responsibility to ensure charter schools guarantee equal access to all students and uphold state and federal laws.”