Okie Atty General: Charter School Students May Undergo Religious Indoctrination

[Midtowner]

Really Scott Pruitt? "The Oklahoma Charter Schools Act only requires a charter school to be nonsectarian in its operations and affiliation but does not prohibit a charter school student from accessing or receiving instruction at a community faith-based institution. 70 O.S.2011, § 3-136(A)(2)."

Welp... now charter schools can use our tax dollars for religious indoctrination purposes. How about Art. 2, Section 5 of the State Constitution? Didn't even discuss that in your opinion, did you?

§ 5. Public money or property - Use for sectarian purposes.

No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.

How do you receive religious education on school grounds which are being paid for or rented with public money, from teachers whose salaries are paid with public money, using books paid for by public money, and not have that money be said to be used for sectarian purposes?

http://www.oscn.net/applications/osc...?citeid=467777

[RadicalModerate]

Excellent Point! You might want to consult with The Prague School Administration to get the definitive answer to that question. (Uh . . . Scott's, like, The Main Lawyer for Oklahoma, isn't he? . . . and we are just typewriters/keyboarders in cyberspace, so I'm not sure that it would actually be worth the drive to Prague to know for sure. Still . . . It is a question worth answering so you be the judge.)

[Midtowner]

What the hell does Prague have to do with anything? Pruitt just wrote that a law which specifically states that in NO WAY can a charter school operationally or affiliationally (that's a word?) be linked to a sectarian institution can nevertheless provide religious training on the taxpayer's dime despite other constitutional provisions specifically prohibiting that.

[onthestrip]

Pruitt seems to be way too extreme for an attorney general. Seem like AG is a position that one should be more moderate with. I think he needs to quit and run for Governor or the legislature if he wants to push his beliefs onto everyone else.

[RadicalModerate]

You are right, Midtowner. There are schools . . . and there are schools. Some of them have Devils as a mascot and balk at the four letter word you used in your first question and some of them go a different direction. You seem to be somewhat upset at something resembling a money trail and the source thereof. If you drive to Prague to check out the comparative details I would suggest taking Highway 62 rather than I-40. It might provide a bit of informal education. There are all sorts of unsolved mysteries lurking within The Constitution of The State of Oklahoma. This may be one of them. I'm surprised that you are surprised. =)

Excuse me: You never said you were surprised, but the implication was in your question. I wasn't trying to lead the witness. That is up to The State Department of Tourism. =)

[Midtowner]

I was just on HWY 62 yesterday on my way to the Quah for a court appearance. Fun place.

[RadicalModerate]

See. There IS a "middle path". And Scott Pruitt is guilty as hell about something or other. =)
I wonder if the tourist busses of the future could make stops here and there, outside of the immediate vicinity, to show the incredible "stupidity" of all the religious hicks just outside The ("secular, godless") UrbanMetro, then turn around and show the inroads into the NeoUrbanCulture paved by "religious stuff" as represented by "charter schools".

Point of order: When was it exactly that here in the land of the free and home of the brave (including Oklahoma) that barristers and solicitors merged into esquires? =)

[soonerguru]

Seems like this is the fight Barresi and the wingnuts have been chomping at the bit to wage for some time. Pruitt is definitely out there for an AG.

[Jersey Boss]

MT, Are you shocked that when this man was elected that he would not be going down the ideological road paved by the extreme right wing?

[Midtowner]

Seems like this is the fight Barresi and the wingnuts have been chomping at the bit to wage for some time. Pruitt is definitely out there for an AG.

I wouldn't be so quick to implicate the Superintendent.

[soonerguru]

I wouldn't be so quick to implicate the Superintendent.

OK. Give me hope. She's definitely pushing the charter school thing.

[Midtowner]

OK. Give me hope. She's definitely pushing the charter school thing.

There's nothing inherently wrong with charter schools when they're properly run. Take schools like Harding Charter Prep in OKC. An excellent school. Admission is by the lottery system. One of the highest, if not the highest API score in the state.

[Bunty]

I bet plenty of religious right politicians don't like it because a number of parents don't send their children to church or vacation bible school and so wish something could be done about it by allowing Christian religious indoctrination in public schools.

[bandnerd]

There's nothing inherently wrong with charter schools when they're properly run. Take schools like Harding Charter Prep in OKC. An excellent school. Admission is by the lottery system. One of the highest, if not the highest API score in the state.

And no religious indoctrination, to boot!