Advancement Project Leads Amicus Brief Opposing State-Created Religious Charter Schools
April 8, 2025
Washington, DC – Advancement Project, Alliance for Educational Justice, Journey for Justice Alliance, and Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network have filed an amicus brief in support of maintaining the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s holding in Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board v. Drummond. In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Oklahoma can reject an application for a religious institution to operate a publicly funded charter school. As argued in the brief, requiring states to create or authorize religious charter schools would further defund public schools and lead to state-sanctioned discrimination.
You can find the full filing here.
“Our nation has a historical commitment to public schools, which are free and open to all children and families regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability,” said Adaku Onyeka-Crawford, Director of the Opportunity to Learn Program at Advancement Project.
“Requiring states to authorize religious charter schools would undermine that commitment, by diverting limited public education dollars to institutions with a long history of discriminating based on these traits.”
“If states are permitted or required to fund religious charter schools, this will essentially defund public education,” said Leidy Robledo, National Co-Director at Alliance for Educational Justice. “Public schools are a public good and fundamental to a multiracial democracy. Young people deserve to attend schools that are well-funded and inclusive. Public education is especially critical for students of color, LGBTQIA+ young people, and students with disabilities.”
“Already, we have seen how the expansion of school vouchers, charter schools, and school closures have starved neighborhood schools,” said Jitu Brown, National Director of the Journey for Justice Alliance. “If the Supreme Court forces or allows Oklahoma to fund religious charter schools, we can expect to see public schools across the country shut their doors. This would be catastrophic for communities of color and working-class communities, who depend on public education to access social mobility and build power.”
“Allowing states to create religious charter schools will result in publicly funded discrimination,” said LuzMarina Serrano, National Organizer at Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network. “This is particularly harmful for LGBTQIA+ students who are also more likely to be subject to harm like bullying, harassment, or discrimination within religious charter schools – if accepted for admission at all. Our young people deserve well-funded public schools where their identities are celebrated rather than attacked or shunned.”
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Advancement Project is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. We are a co-convener of the National Campaign for Police Free schools, a formation of 20+ youth-led grassroots organizations fighting to end the criminalization of youth in the classroom, create liberatory educational spaces, and implement an affirmative vision of safety and transformative justice.Visit www.advancementproject.org to learn more.
