Minnesota Senate File 1740

The Minnesota Legislature is expected to convene for a special session June 9. We assume the education policy bill will move forward. It does not appear to currently include the problematic homeschooling language.

The homeschool language appears to be removed from the education policy bill as it currently stands. However, this could change. 

On May 16, 2025, the Minnesota House of Representatives amended S.B. 1740 and removed the problematic homeschool language. The House then passed the bill, and it returned to the Senate.

On May 17, the Senate did not concur with the changes and requested a conference committee. Conference committees frequently occur in the legislative process when the two houses pass different versions of a bill. Composed of members of both houses, conference committees generally reach a consensus after much negotiation.

On May 19, the legislature ended its 2025 legislative session, as required by state law. The conference committee had not reached a conclusion on the Education Policy Bill. Since the budget also did not pass, the governor will need to call a special session to pass the budget and some of the remaining bills. (The law requires the legislature to pass a budget.) In the meantime, the House and Senate have created working groups (composed of members of both houses) to continue the negotiations. You can find the working group members on HSLDA’s Legislation Action Center.

On May 22, the working group met. The Education Policy Bill under discussion did not contain the problematic homeschool language.

In the meantime, please reach out to the members of the working group and request they continue to keep the homeschool definition out of the Education Policy Bill! You can locate their contact information on HSLDA’s Legislation Action Center.

As always, we will keep you posted when we know what will happen next! For even faster updates, we recommend following HSLDA on Facebook or Instagram. 

Late on April 24, the Minnesota Senate amended and passed the Education Policy Bill that would fundamentally alter the state’s homeschool law. Senate File 1740 now proposes homeschool restrictions that would be among the most onerous in the nation.

Because this was a floor amendment, it denied homeschooling parents the opportunity to testify on the bill.

The Minnesota House of Representatives has already heard testimony on its own version of the Education Policy Bill, but has not passed it yet. We anticipate that representatives will consider an amendment similar to the problematic Senate changes.

Even if a similar amendment is not introduced, the Senate bill will go to conference committee where it has the opportunity to be enacted into law. We will update you as this legislation moves forward.

Meanwhile, please reach out to your state representative and tell them that you oppose any amendment to the House Education Policy Bill at this time. You can do so by contacting your representative.

The first way this bill limits who can homeschool is by defining a homeschool as a group of students related by a parent or legal guardian. This limitation fails to take into account the variations in homeschooling families who may include extended relatives such as stepsiblings, nephews and nieces, or grandchildren.

The second way this bill limits who can homeschool is by prohibiting parents from educating their children if they, or any adult in the home, were ever convicted of a broad list of felonies, gross misdemeanors, or misdemeanors.

While HSLDA opposes child abuse, adding provisions like this to a state’s homeschool statute is unnecessary. Under existing law, if a parent has committed a crime, a judge will determine whether or not they are allowed to have custody of their children, and parents who lose custody cannot homeschool. Nothing in this bill will change any child abuse offenses or punishments in Minnesota law. And rejecting this proposed amendment will not disturb the laws that already punish child abuse and related crimes.  

Additionally, these amendments do not provide any kind of appeals process or method for reviewing extenuating circumstances. Instead, its one-size-fits all approach targets homeschool families indiscriminately. Proposals like this, which may deprive families of basic due process rights, should be carefully and fully weighed by legislators during the entire legislative term, not rushed through via last-minute amendments on the floor.

As currently written, the amendment needlessly restricts homeschooling by requiring that “The homeschool primary address must be a residence in Minnesota.” Combined with the bill’s requirement that all members of a homeschooling family must be closely related, this residency requirement fails to account for the realities of modern homeschooling.

As any homeschooling parent knows, homeschooling does not exclusively take place at home. It can happen on the road, at grandma’s house, at your co-op, or at the park. Limiting homeschooling to a residential address is an antiquated understanding of how homeschooling works, and it eliminates much of the flexibility that makes homeschooling so great. This bill would prevent families from taking advantage of that flexibility.

Nor is homeschooling restricted just to instruction between parents and children. Co-ops with other homeschooling families, online classes, and dual enrollment in private or public school courses can be wonderful additions to a homeschool program. Unfortunately, the drafters of these amendments failed to consult with the homeschool community about the impact they would have on families. And if their vague language is adopted, many families will lose opportunities that could be critical to their children’s education.

To put these amendments in perspective, only four states (Georgia, Michigan, Montana, and Wyoming) have restrictions along these lines, and none are this strict. These changes are unnecessary and will reduce what educational activities a homeschooling family can participate in.