ABOVE: Octavion Hartley, left, and Judah Schieber play with a kitchen set during the Martin County Homeschooling Co-op get together on Friday. The event is held twice a month for homeschooling parents.

FAIRMONT – According to new data, homeschooling is becoming more popular in Martin County and across Minnesota.

Comparing 2017-19 to 2025, Fairmont, Martin County West, Granada-Huntley-East Chain and Truman school districts have increased homeschooled students. Across the board, there has been an increase of 57 students, from 59 to 116.

With the new influx has come groups to support and bring together homeschooling parents. One of these is the Martin County Homeschool Co-op. The group in its current form was started in 2022 by Amber Schueler and Chantal Penner. Penner said they wanted to provide a different experience from other groups in the area.

“[They] have classes,” she said. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. There are some really great groups. We wanted to do something different and not have classes and let the kids play and be a support group to the parents.”

Currently, there are 40 to 50 families in the group, with around five to 10 attending the group sessions at Trimont Covenant Church twice a month. Other events with the kids include field trips, parties and teaching skills like sewing. The parents also have a moms get together once a month, where they have kid-free time to unwind as a group.

As for why they homeschool, all six moms who attended the most recent session said they enjoy getting to spend more time with their kids. Beth Schieber, who has a first grader and a preschooler, said she saw this firsthand as a former public school teacher.

“I saw how long these kids were away from their families,” she said. “My kids are home the whole time, and I love making those memories together, reading great books, having conversations.”

Miranda Ingvall, who has a fifth grader and a preschooler, originally enrolled her first child into public school. Seeing it not be a great fit, she wanted to give homeschooling a chance.

“I knew I would be able to give her the education she needed at home,” Ingvall said. “We wanted to explore that. We’ve done both sides of things. She says she loves homeschooling. She loves being able to focus and get her work done and then have the rest of the day to do what she wants to do.”

Other parents, like Schueler and Penner, were homeschooled themselves and opted to do the same with their kids. Schueler has four homeschooled kids, ranging from a junior to a second grader, while Penner has five from an eighth grader to a preschooler.

Regarding how their schooling works, each parent said they have a routine with their kids to best get the knowledge they need. Penner said she does her schooling with her kids throughout the morning.

“We have a series of together subjects,” she said. “Our writing class together is right now, history, science and Bible. They’re all in the same class. They might do varying activities. If there’s a writing assignment, the eighth grader will have more of an assignment. They also do individual subjects like math, spelling, handwriting.”

The group’s members have also felt the current trend of increased homeschooling. Schueler said it’s no mystery why the numbers have jumped since COVID.

“Parents became aware of what their kids were learning because school was online,” she said. “They’re like, ‘Wait a moment. We don’t agree with this, or we want to be the ones to teach our kids about this.’ On the opposite side, parents found out they loved being home with their kids. They loved being a part of their education and teaching them.”

With this increase has also come increased scrutiny. An amendment made to draft bill SF1740 in April and passed on the State Senate floor would see restrictions placed on who can homeschool. If anyone in the homeschooling family has been convicted of a certain misdemeanor or felony charge at any point, they would not be allowed to homeschool.

The bill has not yet been passed fully, but could before the legislative session ends May 19. Penner said she fears it could prevent capable parents from schooling their children the way they wish to.

“There are people who have done stupid things at 17, 18, 19, 20,” she said. “Got their life together and are really good parents, and this law would prohibit them from homeschooling their kids.”

Even with changes like this looming, Penner said homeschooling has gotten much easier since she was homeschooled in the 90s. There are various curriculums to mix and match or commit to across all subjects, ranging from free to over $1,000 depending on the parent’s budget and preference.

Groups like Martin County Homeschooling Co-op also ensure kids get the social development they need.

“It’s the number one question as a homeschool parent,” Schueler said. “[With homeschool groups] homeschool kids are not just around kids their age. They’re around younger kids, older kids and adults. That’s why I appreciate this group. I can monitor my kids and how they’re interacting with others. If they’re at school, I can’t see those interactions with the other kids.”

On the school district side, Fairmont Superintendent Andy Traetow said homeschoolers account for 2.3 percent of the total kids in the district. He said the school district can help homeschool families with textbooks and school materials, as well as other facets of the student experience.

“Certain provisions for pupil support services as well as their ability to fully participate in extracurricular activities within the school district,” Traetow said. “We currently have students participating, and historically, we have always had and welcomed those students as a part of our extracurricular as well as co-curricular programs during the school day such as band, choir and orchestra.”

These services and opportunities are available to homeschool kids, but Traetow said they are not a requirement for homeschooling. Assistance amounts are determined by the state yearly. Director of Finance and Business Management Jessica Korte said while the school facilitates requests for textbooks and health or guidance services, they are then reimbursed by the state.

Currently, the assistance amounts are up to $132.98 for textbooks, exams and instruction materials, $85.48 for health services, and $358.75 for guidance and counseling services.

Across all educational opportunities in the Fairmont School district, Traetow said he is proud of where they are.

“We continue to work with any family that wants to engage with us, regardless of where their student attends school,” he said. “Really proud of the continued work we do throughout our community to educate all our kids, whether they attend public, home, or parochial school. We have a great educational setting, and those choices offer families the ability to pursue different avenues.”

For more information on the co-op, call Amber Schueler at 507-236-1328. The full list of misdemeanors and felonies included under the current SF1740 can be found at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/245c.15