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MINNESOTA

Mailing lists and homeschool privacy

When the Minnesota legislature decided to significantly increase funding for public charter schools, homeschoolers knew they would soon be targeted by companies that wanted to make money. Home School Legal Defense Association posted a warning on our website, and within days, families began to report receiving a 36-page glossy brochure designed to introduce them to the Minnesota Connections Academy, a public charter school program. Concerned families contacted the charter school to find out how it had obtained their names. Minnesota has one of the best homeschool privacy laws on the books, prohibiting school districts from releasing "directory information" on homeschoolers unless they actively choose to allow it.

The families learned that the charter school got its list of names from a private company that maintains a massive homeschool mailing list.

If you would rather not receive mailings from government entities, consider registering with the Direct Marketing Association's mail preference service. This is a national "do not mail" list that some (but not all) junk mailers use to stop sending unwanted mail. You can sign up at www.dmaconsumers.org.