Chartering Religion: Examining the Implications for Educators’ Civil Rights in Religious Charter Schools

• In Event: Politics of Teacher Preparation, Employment, and Retention

Abstract

In Oklahoma, a state virtual charter school board approved an application for an online religious charter school in 2023. Other scholars have noted that if religious charter schools were permitted, students would not have obligations to prohibit discriminatory practices related to disability, language, or sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity). What is missing in the literature is how educators’ civil rights would be impacted. In a religious charter school, educators will lose many rights. Specifically, educators will most likely not be able to file claims related to discrimination based on sex, race, disability, age, or language. Our paper explores the implications for educators’ civil rights publicly funded religious charter schools.

Authors

• Suzanne E. Eckes, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Preston C. Green, University of Connecticut

• Julie F. Mead, University of Wisconsin - Madison