The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, in partnership with the Diocese of Tulsa, helped form St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School—a nonprofit charter school that is at the center of a Supreme Court dispute over whether taxpayer funds may be used for religious education, raising concerns about the separation of church and state.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is advancing plans to establish a Catholic virtual charter school, leveraging the shift to online education post-Covid-19 to channel taxpayer dollars into religious education. This initiative is part of an ongoing battle over the proper role of religion in public life and the enduring struggle over church-state separation, challenges that have sparked legal and political controversy in Oklahoma.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City expressed gratitude that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the case involving the St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School. Their statement, issued alongside other conservative groups, signals active political engagement in a contentious church‐state debate surrounding religious charter schools in Oklahoma. This move is seen as part of a broader effort to influence judicial interpretations of religious freedom and the Establishment Clause.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City issued a statement in January 2025, posted on the Archdiocese's website, condemning federal mass deportation efforts and advocating for compassionate treatment of immigrants. This public stance emphasizes support for immigrants' rights and criticizes authoritarian immigration policies.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced plans to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that declared illegal a contract between the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced its plan to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court after an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling declared its contract for the St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School illegal. The move comes amid contentious debates over the allocation of public charter school funds and claims of religious discrimination.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, together with the Diocese of Tulsa, proposed the St. Isidore Catholic Virtual Charter School to offer free Catholic education across Oklahoma. Approved by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board in 2023, the initiative is now at the center of a legal battle following an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision that blocked state funding, raising concerns over the separation of church and state and the politicization of public education.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which planned to manage a religious public charter school that would integrate Catholic teachings into all aspects of education and explicitly allow discriminatory practices in admissions, discipline, and employment, had its proposal rejected by the Oklahoma Supreme Court for violating the state constitution and charter-school statute.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the contract between the state board and St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School – operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City – violates constitutional mandates requiring public charter schools to remain nonsectarian. This decision underscores the problematic entanglement of government funding with religious institutions.

The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, alongside other local faith leaders, publicly criticized a controversial immigration bill for dehumanizing immigrants. They argued that the legislation, which would allow rapid deportations and harsh penalties, unfairly targets upstanding community members, urging Governor Kevin Stitt to veto the measure.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City redirected parishioner donations by sending $1,000 to Minnesota to support anti-gay discrimination, diverting funds from local community services despite strong local support for marriage equality.