SW News: The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City submitted a state application on Tuesday, February 14, seeking approval to launch a Catholic online charter school, paving the way for a significant ruling on the financing of religious institutions in the United States.

Officials from the archdiocese have also said that, if approved, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would become the country's first religious charter school. Also, it would be a publicly financed online public school that is free for families of students.

The administrative offices of St. Isidore of Seville will be located in the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City, and the school anticipates serving 400–500 students in grades K–12 in its first year of operation.

On Tuesday, the proposed school was presented to three of the five members of the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, which oversees the state's six virtual charter schools. The body, which is in charge of the six virtual charter schools operated by the state, must make a decision about the school's opening by April 29.

The archdiocese's proposal said that St. Isidore of Seville would teach the Catholic religion to students of any faith. "In a fashion that is compatible with the discipline and teachings of the Catholic Church," said Catholic Conference of Oklahoma director Brett Farley, the school might employ non-Catholics.

Although the school would adopt an anti-discrimination policy, it would also firmly follow Catholic teachings about marriage, sexual orientation, and gender identity, raising concerns about whether its regulations would be compatible with federal safeguards for LGBTQ+ students and workers.

According to Lara Schuler, executive director for Catholic education at the archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Catholic schools serve the majority of Oklahoma's major urban regions. But, in order to reach out to far-off areas, the archbishop wishes to embrace virtual schooling.

In response to the school's application, the archdiocese estimated that the start-up and first year of operations would cost $5.2 million. It also pledged to help in the search for grant money to ensure the school had the resources to operate.