Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has accused the Statewide Charter School Board of attempting to rig the legal battle over a proposed Jewish virtual charter school. The board recently rejected an application from the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, which sought to open a statewide online school combining secular coursework with daily Jewish religious instruction.

Drummond alleges the board structured its rejection to focus solely on the school’s religious character, potentially strengthening an anticipated federal lawsuit challenging Oklahoma’s ban on religious charter schools. He has asked a district court judge to require the board to issue a new rejection letter that outlines all deficiencies in the application, arguing that the board deliberately omitted key concerns.

The proposal would have created the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school. The board cited a 2024 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling requiring charter schools to remain secular, a decision that previously blocked a Catholic virtual charter school. However, the board has retained outside legal counsel and indicated it may support broader constitutional arguments in court.

Drummond, who also opposed the earlier Catholic school proposal, maintains that the legal question has already been settled in state court and says his challenge is procedural. State officials previously raised concerns about projected enrollment figures and compliance with board membership requirements, issues Drummond claims were left out of the final rejection letter.