FFRF and a coalition are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation. The lawsuit, The National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation Inc. v. Drummond, was brought by a religious organization trying to open the nation’s first religious public charter school in Oklahoma.

The coalition represents a group of seven Oklahoma taxpayers and families with children attending public schools. These plaintiffs oppose Ben Gamla’s effort to force Oklahoma to authorize and fund a religious public charter school. Plaintiffs object to their tax dollars funding a public charter school that will indoctrinate students into a particular religion. The proposed charter school would be in violation of Oklahoma and as well as federal law. In addition to violating the separation of church and state. Plaintiffs also object to public funds being diverted from their public schools to a religious school that plans to discriminate based on religion. 

FFRF has previously represented Oklahomans who challenged the first attempt to establish a religious charter school in their state. The Oklahoma Supreme Court declared this unconstitutional two years ago.

The intervenor-plaintiffs are represented by Americans United, Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, ACLU, Education Law Center, and FFRF Litigation Attorney Nancy A. Noet and Senior Counsel Sam Grover.

Case Documents

• Motion to Intervene
  • Press Release

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