Oklahoma officials reject creation of first Jewish charter school; appeal expected
Oklahoma officials have rejected an application to create a Jewish charter school, citing a recent court decision against the creation of a virtual Catholic charter school.
The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board voted on Monday to reject the proposed religious charter school, known as Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School.
Gamla, which has four campuses in Florida, plans to appeal the Oklahoma school board's decision, according to the religious liberty law firm Becket.
“Parents across the Sooner State deserve more high-quality options for their children’s education, not fewer,” said Peter Deutsch, founder of the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School, in a statement.
“Yet [Republican Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond] is robbing them of more choices by cutting schools like Ben Gamla out. We’re confident this exclusionary rule won’t stand for long.”
A coalition of groups — including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, Education Law Center, Freedom From Religion Foundation and Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice — applauded the decision.
The progressive advocacy groups sent a letter to the state school board last week, imploring it to reject Ben Gamla's application on state and federal constitutional grounds.
“By refusing to approve what would have been the nation’s first religious public school, the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board is protecting Oklahomans’ religious freedom, public education, and church-state separation,” they said in a joint statement.
“We’re proud to be part of a large and diverse group of Oklahomans and people nationwide who are committed to defending America’s secular public education system.”
Last November, Deutsch, a former Congressman from Florida, filed a letter of intent with the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board to launch a virtual Jewish religious charter school in Oklahoma.
"Ben Gamla envisions Oklahoma students gaining a rigorous, values-based education that integrates general academic excellence with Jewish religious learning and ethical development," wrote Deutsch at the time, according to the Oklahoma Voice.
Brett Farley, a member of the board of directors for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would have been the state's first religious charter school before it was struck down in court, was listed in Deutsch's letter as part of the founding team for the proposed Jewish school.
In June 2023, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 to approve the creation of St. Isidore, which would have been overseen by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a complaint against the board in October 2023, and a coalition of liberal groups filed a lawsuit in July 2023.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled 7-1 against St. Isidore in June 2024. The majority concluded that the Catholic entity's approval violated the state constitution.
Although the charter school board unanimously voted to rescind the contract for St. Isidore due to the state high court's order, it also filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
In May 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a brief 4-to-4 per curiam opinion affirming the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling against the establishment of St. Isidore. Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself due to reported personal ties to a professor who was an early adviser to St. Isidore.
