BREAKING: Oklahoma school board denies Jewish charter school’s application Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School vows to challenge exclusion in court

WASHINGTON – The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board voted today to deny Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School’s application to join Oklahoma’s charter school program. Ben Gamla seeks to offer Oklahoma families a rigorous, values-based education that is open to students of all faiths, integrating academic excellence with religious learning. The Board argued that it was required to deny the application under the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling in St. Isidore v. Drummond, which prohibits faith-based schools from participating in the state’s charter school program. With Becket’s help, Ben Gamla will challenge the decision in federal court. 

For nearly two decades, the Ben Gamla Charter School Foundation has provided high-quality education to students of all faiths. With four campuses in Florida, they offer an education focused on Hebrew language, culture, and history. In December 2025, Peter Deutsch, founder of the Ben Gamla Charter School Foundation, applied for charter authorization with the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board to open Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School as an online option for families statewide. 

“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. “Yet Attorney General 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.”  

In 2023, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the application of another faith-based school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, to join the other over 30 privately-run charter schools in the state. But soon after, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued the Charter School Board, arguing that St. Isidore should not be allowed to participate in the charter school program because it is religious. After the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked St. Isidore from participating, the case went to the United States Supreme Court. The Court split 4-4 in St. Isidore, leaving the lower court’s ruling in place and providing no answer on the constitutional questions.  

While members of the Charter School Board praised Ben Gamla’s model, they concluded that St. Isidore requires Oklahoma to shut faith-based charter schools out of the program. Yet the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that states cannot deny publicly available funding to religious schools simply because they are religious. 

Recent polling indicates broad public support for entities like Ben Gamla. According to Becket’s 2025 Religious Freedom Index, 76% of Americans believe religious organizations that serve the community should be just as eligible to receive government funding as non-religious organizations that provide the same services.   

“Attorney General Drummond’s attack on religious schools contradicts the Constitution,” said Eric Baxter, senior counsel at Becket and attorney for Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School. “His actions have hung a no-religious-need-apply sign on the state’s charter school program, ignoring years of Supreme Court precedent and leaving religious families out in the cold. We’ll soon ask a federal court to protect Ben Gamla’s freedom to serve Sooner families, a right that every other qualified charter school enjoys.” 

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Ryan Colby at [email protected] or 202-349-7219.