«		LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE UPDATES		»
ACROSS THE STATES

MINNESOTA

Quiet changes

Minnesota is one of a handful of states where school officials have "discretionary powers" that are easily abused. In general, most districts presume that homeschooling parents will teach their children in good faith, and use their discretionary authority only when there is genuine reason for concern. Other districts try to "crack down" on every family every year. The challenge for Minnesota homeschoolers is to persuade these districts to treat homeschoolers with respect instead of suspicion.

During the last 12 months, discernable changes have occurred in the state. Home School Legal Defense Association and Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) worked hard to bring certain privacy problems to the attention of local school districts and state department of education officials. In a number of districts, families who had routinely provided paperwork to their district upon request just said "no" in a polite but firm manner. Apparently, this focus on homeschool privacy has had positive results. The percentage of districts that are demanding paperwork from every family appears to have shrunk this fall.

HSLDA is committed to working with our 1,048 Minnesota member families to keep advancing homeschool freedom. Thank you for your part in preserving the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.