Without a comment from the majority, the Oklahoma Supreme Court declined on Monday to stay its ruling that St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School’s contract with the Statewide Charter School Board must be rescinded.
St. Isidore had asked the court for a stay to be in effect “until the expiration of time” for the school to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, or, if such an appeal is filed, “until notice of final disposition by the U.S. Supreme Court.” A spokesman for the Oklahoma City Archdiocese, which operates the school along with the Tulsa Diocese, said it would have no comment on the court’s ruling.
St. Isidore is seeking to become the nation’s first Catholic virtual charter school, and the case is being eyed closely due to its religious overtones and potential for a precedent-setting ruling. It has acknowledged it won’t open for the 2024-25 school year.
In asking for the stay, St. Isidore’s attorneys said it would be limited and “would not permit St. Isidore to open to children or allow state charter-school funding to go to St. Isidore while review by the U.S. Supreme Court is sought. The limited stay would simply preserve the current contract in the event the U.S. Supreme Court reverses.”