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‘Bad for parents’: School choice supporters protest exclusion of religious charter in Supreme Court case
Dozens of school choice advocates gathered outside the Supreme Court Wednesday as justices weighed whether public funds could go directly to religious charter schools.
The protesters rallied and held signs that said «all students, all options, all dollars» and «free to learn,» as they advocated for expanded access to alternatives to traditional public schools, especially for students who struggle in those settings.
The case, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, challenges a ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court that struck down a contract establishing St. Isidore – a publicly funded, Catholic online school – as a violation of state and federal law. Now before the U.S. Supreme Court, advocates argue that excluding religious schools from state-run charter programs amounts to unconstitutional discrimination.
«The court has time and time again said that the Free Exercise Clause demands that the government treat religious and secular organizations the same, and that’s not what happened here. The state excluded St. Isidore simply because of its religious character, that’s wrong and bad for parents,» said Kate Anderson, an attorney at ADF working on the case.
LIBERAL SUPREME COURT JUSTICES GRILL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION IN LANDMARK SCHOOL CHOICE CASE
School choice advocates rally outside the Supreme Court building on Wednesday, April 30. (Fox News Digital )
For students like Contina Jones’ son, public schools are not always a good fit. «He was very sad, very emotional every day, he was overstimulated, teachers were in and out, and I needed something that was able to cater to how my son learns,» said Jones, a Mississippi resident who joined the crowd outside the court. «Every child, regardless of zip code, should be able to go to a school that is for them for their families.»
The justices are being asked to weigh whether a religious charter school is entitled to the same treatment and funding as a secular one – a question that could redefine how states draw the line between church and state in public education.
«Charter schools are not public schools in the same way as traditional ones,» said Thomas Fisher, executive vice president of EdChoice. «They’re designed to have curricula other than what public schools provide. The First Amendment protects their free exercise and doesn’t prohibit them from exercising their religion.»
At issue is whether the school should be considered a public school – which have largely been considered as extensions of the state government, and required to be nonreligious under the Establishment Clause – or whether it should be considered private entities or contractors.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican who is running for governor, filed the lawsuit against the school, stating that the establishment of St. Isidore would violate both the Oklahoma Constitution and the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Public funds should not be used to support religious institutions, he emphasized, asserting that such a move could set a dangerous precedent for government endorsement of religion.
SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS ON SCHOOL CHOICE CASE INVOLVING CATHOLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
Supporters of St. Isidore hold signs outside the Supreme Court. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The Oklahoma Supreme Court agreed with Drummond’s assessment, ruling that charter schools are public entities and must remain nonsectarian. The court’s decision highlighted concerns that approving St. Isidore as a religious charter school could lead to state-sponsored religious indoctrination, undermining the neutrality of public education.
«The key here is that this school is its own school. This school is not a state school – it’s a charter school. It has the ability to set its own curriculum,» added John Tidwell, Oklahoma state director of Americans for Prosperity.
He called the case a «great test to see what the opportunity is for similar schools all across the country.»
«We’re really excited by this opportunity.»
Erika Donalds, chair of America First Policy Institute’s Center for Education Opportunity, echoed the sentiment, framing the case as a potential expansion of «the free market of education.»
Rev. Shannon Fleck of Faithful America speaks as Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush of Interfaith Alliance listens during a news conference outside the Supreme Court on April 30, 2025. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
«St. Isidore is just one example of many high-quality options that are out there that could be chartered for families,» Donalds said. «The Supreme Court has struck down discrimination against religious institutions in other contexts. If they can offer high-quality education, families should be able to access those options with public funds.»
Donalds emphasized that the choice remains with families. «Parents are not required to choose a religiously affiliated charter school, but they should have the option to do so — so long as financial and academic accountability measures are met.»
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She also pointed to bipartisan support for school choice nationwide.
«We’ve seen polling that shows 70% of Republicans, nearly 70% of Democrats, and Independents all support school choice. This movement has momentum, and it’s not going to stop.»
The court’s ruling, expected by the end of June, could have sweeping implications for charter school policy and religious liberty jurisprudence across the country, and comes at a time when 45 U.S. states currently authorize charter schools.
Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
High School,US Education,Education Controversies,Supreme Court Oral Arguments,Supreme Court
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Un hombre atropelló y apuñaló a cuatro personas en Manchester en pleno Yom Kipur: hay dos muertos
Un hombre atacó a varias personas frente a una sinagoga de Manchester y dejó un saldo de al menos dos muertos y dos heridos en plena celebración de Yom Kipur, la fecha más sagrada del calendario judío.
El agresor fue abatido por la policía. Sin embargo, las autoridades aún no pudieron confirmar su muerte debido a problemas de seguridad relacionados con objetos sospechosos.
Leé también: Israel interceptó la flotilla de más de 40 barcos con la que Greta Thunberg buscaba llegar a la Franja de Gaza
Según informó la policía del Gran Manchester, el ataque ocurrió cerca de las 9:30 de la mañana, cuando un testigo alertó sobre un vehículo que atropelló a varias personas y luego un hombre apuñaló a un agente de seguridad. El ataque ocurrió en la fecha más sagrada del calendario judío. (Foto: AFP/Paul Currie).
La reacción de la policía y el contexto del ataque
La policía calificó el episodio como un ataque terrorista. El alcalde del Gran Manchester, Andy Burnham, aseguró que “el peligro inmediato parece haber pasado” y pidió a la población “no especular en las redes sociales”. Además, felicitó a las fuerzas de seguridad por su rápida intervención.
El ataque ocurrió mientras los fieles judíos acudían a la sinagoga para orar por Yom Kipur, una jornada de recogimiento y reflexión. El hecho conmocionó a la comunidad local y generó preocupación por la seguridad en un día tan especial. La policía investiga el ataque como atentado terrorista. (Foto: REUTERS/Phil Noble).
El impacto político y las repercusiones
El primer ministro británico, Keir Starmer, expresó su horror por lo sucedido y decidió acortar su participación en la cumbre europea de Copenhague para regresar al país. “Estoy horrorizado por el ataque a la sinagoga de Crumpsall. El hecho de que esto haya ocurrido en el día de Yom Kipur, el día más sagrado del calendario judío, hace que sea aún más horrible”, escribió en la red social X.
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El primer ministro agregó que “se están desplegando recursos policiales adicionales en las sinagogas de todo el país”. “Haremos todo lo posible para mantener a nuestra comunidad judía segura”, agregó.
El ataque se produjo a pocos días del tercer aniversario del atentado mortal de Hamas en el sur de Israel, el 7 de octubre de 2023, que dejó 1219 muertos, en su mayoría civiles.
Al menos dos personas murieron en el ataque. (Foto: REUTERS/Phil Noble).
El rey Carlos dijo que él y la reina estaban “profundamente conmocionados y entristecidos al enterarse del horrible ataque en Manchester, especialmente en un día tan significativo para la comunidad judía”.
“Nuestros pensamientos y oraciones están con todos aquellos afectados por este terrible incidente y agradecemos enormemente las rápidas acciones de los servicios de emergencia”, agregó.
La embajada de Israel en el Reino Unido condenó el ataque, al que calificó de “aborrecible y profundamente angustiante”.
Un día de oración marcado por la violencia
Yom Kipur es una de las fechas más importantes para la comunidad judía, en la que los creyentes suelen acudir a la sinagoga para rezar y pedir perdón. El ataque en Manchester tiñó de miedo y dolor una jornada que debía ser de paz y reflexión.
Un aumento del antisemitismo en el Reino Unido
La organización de monitoreo y seguridad comunitaria Community Security Trust (CST) afirmó que en los 12 meses posteriores a los atentados del 7 de octubre, se registraron 5583 incidentes en el Reino Unido, incluyendo comportamiento abusivo, amenazas, agresiones, daños y profanación, lo que representa un aumento interanual del 204 %.
En 2024, se reportaron 3528 incidentes antisemitas en el Reino Unido, la segunda cifra más alta, según el CST. “El impacto duradero del conflicto en Oriente Medio en el discurso antijudío en el Reino Unido es evidente en el hecho de que la retórica relacionada con el conflicto estuvo presente en 1.844 (52%) de los 3528 incidentes antisemitas reportados al CST en 2024, junto con lenguaje, motivación u objetivos antijudíos”, afirmaron.
Reino Unido, Manchester, antisemitismo
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At least two victims have died and three others are in a serious condition after a car and knife attack outside a synagogue in Manchester in the United Kingdom, authorities said.
Greater Manchester Police said officers were called at about 9:30 a.m. to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue after a vehicle was driven into pedestrians and at least one person was stabbed. Armed police declared a major incident and opened fire minutes later, striking a person believed to be the suspect.
Police said they cannot currently confirm if the suspect is dead due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person. The bomb disposal unit has been called and is now at the scene.
Emergency services at the scene of a stabbing at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, on Thursday Oct. 2, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
MULTIPLE PEOPLE KILLED IN SHOOTING ATTACK ON JERUSALEM BUS
Paramedics arrived at the scene minutes later and were seen treating the victims.
Police declared «PLATO,» a national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a «marauding terrorist firearms attack» or other large-scale incidents involving significant threats to public safety.
A large number of people were worshiping at the synagogue at the time of the incident. They were held inside while the immediate area was made safe but have since been evacuated, police said.
The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar which ends later today.
SHOOTING AT CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS RISING WAVE OF ANTI-JEWISH HATE CRIME
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said with a «degree of reassurance,» that the incident is now over.
«It is believed that the offender is deceased, although it’s not confirmed,» he told the BBC.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson acknowledged the significance of the timing of the attack.
«We know today’s horrifying attack, on the Jewish community’s holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities,» the spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said a member of the public prevented the suspect from entering the synagogue.
Emergency services on scene after a car and knife attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, Oct. 2, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is returning early from a visit to Denmark and will chair what he called an «emergency meeting» in London with cabinet ministers and officials.
Starmer said additional police assets are being deployed at synagogues across the country.
A police officer secures the scene outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after a car and knife attack injured four people. Officers shot a man believed to be the suspect. (Paul Currie / AFP)
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«I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall,» Starmer wrote on X.
The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.»
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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MADISON, N.J. – EXCLUSIVE: The nation’s capital isn’t the only battlefield in the blame game between Democrats and Republicans over the first federal government shutdown in seven years.
The verbal crossfire is also playing out on the campaign trail in New Jersey, which is home to one of only two elections for governor across the nation this year.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital, pointed fingers at his Democratic rival, Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
After Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman, charged in a statement that «Washington Republicans have once again shown they’re willing to turn their backs on the American people in order to blindly follow Donald Trump’s demands,» Ciattarelli criticized his opponent in the combustible, competitive, and high-profile ballot box showdown.
FIVE RACES TO WATCH WITH FIVE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY 2025
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor in New Jersey, takes part at a candidate forum at Fairleigh Dickinson University, on Oct. 1, 2025 in Madison, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
«There’s nothing my opponent won’t blame on President Trump. As I like to say, if you get a flat [tire] today, it’s President Trump’s fault,» Ciattarelli argued, in a sit-down interview after taking part in a candidate forum hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson University.
With neither Trump and the Republican majority in Congress, nor congressional Democrats willing to lower the temperature, the government shut down early Wednesday morning.
BLAME GAME OVER SHUTDOWN INTENSIFIES
Democrats insisted that any agreement to prevent a government shutdown, or now to end the shutdown, must extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) beyond the end of this year. Those credits, which millions of Americans rely on to reduce the costs of health care plans under the ACA, which was once known as Obamacare, are set to expire unless Congress acts.
But most Republicans oppose the extension of the credits and argue that the Democrats’ demands would lead to a huge increase in taxpayer-funded healthcare for immigrants who entered the country illegally.
Sherrill, along with every other House Democrat except Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against a GOP stopgap measure that would have temporarily averted the shutdown.
A closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson – AP Photo)
Ciattarelli, pointing to his rival’s vote in Congress, said, «I do know that there’s a bipartisan group of congresspeople that are trying to keep the government open. My opponent has decided not to be part of that bipartisan group, and she voted no. And so here we are.»
Sherrill, who has repeatedly linked Ciattarrelli to Trump, placed the shutdown blame squarely on Trump’s shoulders, writing in a social media post, «This is precisely the extreme MAGA agenda that @Jack4NJ wants to bring to NJ.»
TRUMP LOOMS LARGE OVER THIS CRUCIAL RACE FOR GOVERNOR
And taking aim at congressional Republicans in a statement from her House office, Sherrill argued that «instead of working with Democrats to lower costs, protect health care, and support working people, Washington Republicans bent the knee to Donald Trump, shutting down the government in the process.»
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey responds to questions during the first general election debate with Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli. Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Lawrenceville, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
With just over one month to go until Election Day in New Jersey — and early voting taking place Oct. 25-Nov. 2 — a new Fox News poll indicated Sherrill holding an upper single-digit lead over Ciattarelli.
But Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics, touted that «the energy is off the charts, and the fact that I’m being endorsed by Democratic mayors around the state says a whole lot about people wanting change here in the state of New Jersey.»
Hours into the shutdown, the Trump administration announced the freezing of billions of dollars in federal funding for two infrastructure projects, including the Gateway Project, which would build a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York.
Sherrill quickly slammed the move and pointed fingers at Ciattarelli. She pledged to «fight tooth and nail to complete this essential infrastructure project for New Jersey. Jack Ciattarelli will not. He’s refused to name a single area where he disagrees with Trump.»
But Ciattarelli campaign senior strategist Chris Russell shot back in a statement, saying, «Make no mistake, Mikie Sherrill owns this shutdown and is responsible for any negative impacts on [the] Gateway tunnel project and other NJ priorities.»
HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS’ 2025 ELECTION COVERAGE
The two candidates will face off next week in their second and final debate before voters head to the polls in the election to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
Asked about his debate game plan, Ciattarelli said he would «be very, very specific with policy proposals that fix our problems here in New Jersey, and point out every single time she doesn’t answer the questions.»
Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, left, shakes hands with Democratic candidate for governor Mikie Sherrill, right, before a debate on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Lawrenceville, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey run on a party ticket and Democrats on Wednesday were spotlighting a comment by the GOP lieutenant governor nominee Jim Gannon, the Morris County Sheriff, in a debate earlier this week that «taxes are on the table.»
Asked about his running mate’s comment, Ciattarelli emphasized that «there will be no tax increases under Governor Ciattarelli. And I would put forth a very specific plan on how to decrease the income tax and the property tax here in New Jersey.»
The race was rocked last week after a New Jersey Globe report revealed that Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid the cheating scandal.
Sherrill claims that Ciattarelli is going on a «witch hunt» over her improperly released military records, which raised questions about her possible involvement in a cheating scandal that rocked the U.S. Naval Academy three decades ago.
«He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, if you will. He’s now trying to divert from that,» Sherrill told reporters on Tuesday following a campaign event in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey.
Ciattarelli and his campaign are calling on Sherrill, who went on to pilot helicopters during her military career after graduating from the Naval Academy, to release her military records to explain why she was prevented from attending her graduation ceremony.
But a separate report from CBS News revealed that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally.
«To have a guy I’m running against, it will stop at nothing, it will stop at nothing, who will illegally obtain records. It’s just beyond the pale,» Sherrill, who served as a federal prosecutor before winning election to Congress, charged last week.
The National Archives, in a letter last week, apologized to Sherrill, saying the improper release was due to a government worker’s error over a legal records request.
Following the breach of the records, Sherrill’s campaign sent cease-and-desist letters to the National Archives and to Ciattarelli’s campaign, as well as to Ciattarelli’s top strategist, Chris Russell and Nicholas De Gregorio, who is described by Sherrill’s team as «an agent of the campaign working at the direction of» Russell.
The Sherrill campaign on Monday launched a digital ad taking aim at Ciattarelli.
«They broke the law to attack a veteran,» the narrator in the spot charged.
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Asked about the ad, Ciattarelli charged in his Fox News Digital interview that Sherrill «did something at the Naval Academy that caused them to punish her. She wasn’t allowed to participate in the graduation. Her name is not listed in the commencement exercise program. She was, in fact, punished. She needs to come clean on what she did to be punished by the Naval Academy.»
And asked about the release of her military files and criticism from Democrats of possible dirty tricks, Ciattarelli said «somebody filed a Freedom of Information Act request, and it was fulfilled by the National Archives. And so it’s all a smokescreen. The information that came out of there is what the National Archives provided, but this is a smokescreen and spin on what really took place at the Naval Academy, and that’s her punishment.»
government shutdown,governors,gubernatorial,elections,2025 2026 elections coverage,new jersey,donald trump,campaigning
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