Legal/Homeschool Laws
Laws that regulate home education vary from state to state. It is important to understand the legal requirements in your state and to be aware of legislative and other legal issues that affect homeschoolers in your community. We've compiled resources that will help you become informed. Although homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, and the vast majority of homeschoolers face no problems, you may find that you need legal assistance at some point in your homeschooling career. We've compiled a list of resources to help you find the support you need. And if you'd like to become more involved in working towards homeschooling freedoms, we discuss some of the issues facing homeschoolers that we hope you find compelling.
State Laws
Read the laws regulating home education in Minnesota and browse through the case law and legal opinions relating to those laws, along with government publications relating to homeschooling and summaries of the laws.
Forms
Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Minnesota.
Legal Support
If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
Lobbying Groups
A listing of local and national lobbying groups and information on how you can become involved in the political process to ensure the freedom to homeschool is protected.
Attorneys
When searching for an attorney, it is helpful to know whether he or she has experience working with homeschoolers and is interested in protecting the right to homeschool.
Legal Issues
Is homeschooling legal? Which laws pertain to homeschoolers and which don't? How do homeschoolers protect their rights to freely educate their children and to preserve their privacy?
Government Resources
A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
What's Popular
School and Enrollment Choices
Did you know that there are more options for your child than traditional public school? In Minnesota, parents have a wide range of meaningful school options for their children. These resources give basic information to parents who wish to educate their children at home.
Pupil Immunization Record
The Minnesota Department of Health issues this form to record childhood immunizations.
123B.36 Authorized fees.
Subdivision 1.School boards may require fees. (a) For purposes of this subdivision, "home school" means a home school as defined in sections 120A.22 and 120A.24 with five or fewer students receiving instruction.
(b) A school board is authorized to require payment of fees in the following areas:
(1) in any program where the resultant product, in excess of minimum requirements and at the pupil's option, becomes the personal property of the pupil;
(2) admission fees or charges for extracurricula...
Letter of Intent to Continue Homeschooling
This is a suggested form from the Minnesota Department of Education to submit the Letter of Intent to Continue Homeschooling. Information must be submitted by October 1 of each year after a Full Report has been filed in the same district.
144.3351 Immunization data.
Providers as defined in section 144.291, subdivision 2, group purchasers as defined in section 62J.03, subdivision 6, elementary or secondary schools or child care facilities as defined in section 121A.15, subdivision 9, public or private postsecondary educational institutions as defined in section 135A.14, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), a board of health as defined in section 145A.02, subdivision 2, community action agencies as defined in section 256E.31, subdivision 1, and the commissioner of h...
Minnesota Department of Education
This is the official website for the Minnesota Department of Education.
120A.26 Enforcement and prosecution.
g and mediation. If the specified alleged violations of the compulsory attendance requirements are not corrected within 15 days of receipt of the written notification, the superintendent must request fact-finding and mediation services from the commissioner.
Subd. 5.Notice to county attorney. If the alleged violations are not corrected through the fact-finding and mediation process under subdivision 4, the superintendent must notify the county attorney of the alleged violations. The superintend...
102A.26 Enforcement and Prosecution
Subd. 3.Notice to parents. The superintendent must notify the parent, in writing, if a child is alleged to be receiving instruction in violation of sections 120A.22 and 120A.24. The written notification must include a list of the specific alleged violations.
Subd. 4.Fact-finding and mediation. If the specified alleged violations of the compulsory attendance requirements are not corrected within 15 days of receipt of the written notification, the superintendent must request fact-finding and medi...
Letter of Intent to Continue
This is the form homeschoolers can use each year as they continue to homeschool beyond the initial year. This form is in pdf format.
Initial Report To Superintendent
This pdf form is the form homeschoolers fill out when they first begin homeschooling AND when their child reaches age 7. (Note: If your child is under age 7 but was previously enrolled in public school, you may need to file this form upon removing them from school.
124D.09 Postsecondary enrollment options act.
Subdivision 1.Citation. This section may be cited the "Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act."
Subd. 2.Purpose. The purpose of this section is to promote rigorous academic pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high school pupils by encouraging and enabling secondary pupils to enroll full time or part time in nonsectarian courses or programs in eligible postsecondary institutions, as defined in subdivision 3.
Subd. 3.Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms ...
121A.15 health standards; immunizations; school children
Subdivision 1.School and child care facility immunization requirements. Except as provided in subdivisions 3, 4, and 10, no person over two months old may be allowed to enroll or remain enrolled in any elementary or secondary school or child care facility in this state until the person has submitted to the administrator or other person having general control and supervision of the school or child care facility, one of the following statements:
(1) a statement from a physician or a public clinic...
Letter of Intent to Continue to Provide Instruction
Submit a Letter of Intent to Continue to Provide Instruction to the superintendent’s office in the school district where the
parent/legal guardian resides. Complete the information
using this form or a written or electronic format of your choice. Information in the Letter of Intent must be submitted
by October 1 of each year after a Full Report has been filed in the same district. If you have moved, you must file
a new Full Report.
120A.24 Reporting.
Subdivision 1.Reports to superintendent. (a) The person or nonpublic school in charge of providing instruction to a child must submit to the superintendent of the district in which the child resides the name, birth date, and address of the child; the annual tests intended to be used under section 120A.22, subdivision 11, if required; the name of each instructor; and evidence of compliance with one of the requirements specified in section 120A.22, subdivision 10:
(1) by October 1 of the first sc...
Non-accredited, Nonpublic School Full Report
The person or nonpublic school in charge of providing instruction to a child must submit a Full Report to the superintendent of the school district where the child resides. Information in the Full Report must be submitted by October 1 of the first school year the child receives instruction after reaching the age of seven; with 15 days of when a parent withdraws a child from public school after age seven to provide instruction in a nonpublic school that is not accredited by a state-recognized ac...
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Featured Resources
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Please Don't Drink the Holy Water
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Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book Of Homeschooling
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Spell to Write & Read
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A Little Way of Homeschooling
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Homeschooling: The Teen Years : Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- to 18- Year-Old (Prima Home Learning Library)
The teen years are when many homeschooling parents start to question or abandon their efforts. It's a precarious time, with challenging academics, pressing social issues, and the prospect of college looming. Parents can now breathe easy: this guide c...