Homeschool student athletes reportedly reinstated after row with state high school league

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has reportedly reinstated four high school baseball players who were previously deemed ineligible. All four of the students are homeschooled and questions remain about whether that status affected their initial ineligibility.

“The players who were previously ruled ineligible have now officially been deemed eligible after the [Minnesota State High School League] met with the Minnesota Department of Education,” said Justin Gominsky, a baseball trainer who works with the students.

Alpha News had previously been told that the four high school baseball players were ruled ineligible for the upcoming season by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). The MSHSL is a private organization that governs state high school sports in Minnesota.

The four students are homeschooled, use a private online curriculum, and are a part of Athletic Performance Homeschool Cooperative (APHC), a network of homeschool families with student athletes.

The APHC’s director of operations, Michael Caldeen, told Alpha News that his organization is tailored to “high-end athletes in Minnesota and is faith-based.”

Caldeen previously said MSHSL put nothing in writing when the four students were deemed ineligible. Instead, the MSHSL’s decision was reportedly communicated verbally to high school athletic directors, who conveyed it to the coaches, who then notified the athletes.

He also said the MSHSL repeatedly asked those athletes to provide transcripts, and noted that “it is highly unusual that the Minnesota State High School League feels compelled to solicit student transcripts to determine athletic eligibility.”

“One can only assume that the League is determining eligibility based on curriculum, which is unlawful and discriminatory,” Caldeen added.

Importantly, Caldeen noted that the MSHSL does not determine student eligibility for high school sporting events. Instead, he said eligibility is determined by school districts and “their affiliated organizations.”

Gominsky, the owner of a baseball training club called Minnesota Icemen Baseball, runs a facility where APHC athletes practice. He said MSHSL decided that the students’ use of the private online curriculum makes them “private school” students.

Gominsky said this occurred despite the fact that the students filed required homeschool paperwork, were accepted and recorded as homeschoolers by their district, and previously participated in MSHSL sports without any issues.

“Minnesota law and Minnesota House Research confirm that curriculum choice does not change a homeschooler’s legal classification,” Gominsky told Alpha News. “This is clear discrimination against homeschool families.”

“When a governing body ignores statute and punishes families for choosing a legal educational path, that’s not about fairness — it’s about abuse of authority,” he added.

Republican State Sen. Michael Kreun previously told Alpha News that “the MSHSL has no authority to question a homeschool family’s status if they are in compliance with state law and if the resident district itself accepts that student as a homeschool student.”

“The law is clear that the student has a right to engage in extracurricular activities for their home school district,” Kreun added.

On Wednesday, Gominsky informed Alpha News that the students’ ineligibility was “reversed” following a meeting between MSHSL and the state education department.

Gominsky said the matter had been elevated to a review by the MSHSL’s executive director, Erich Martens. Gominsky also gave Alpha News an email which appeared to show MSHSL telling one of the families that their student is eligible to play baseball this season.

“We were able to get this resolved through direct engagement and, candidly, through relationships and influence that allowed us to elevate the issue to the appropriate decision makers within the state,” Gominsky said. “I am grateful the outcome was ultimately corrected and that the students involved will not be penalized moving forward.”

However, the baseball trainer warned that the entire situation “raises a broader concern.”

“While we were fortunate to have the platform and relationships necessary to advocate effectively, many Minnesota families do not have that same voice or access,” Gominsky said. “It is troubling to consider how similar situations may unfold for families who lack the ability to generate visibility or apply pressure.”

Alpha News contacted the MSHSL for this story before the students were reinstated. In that statement, the league outlined its eligibility rules but did not address the situation with the four homeschool students.

Alpha News again contacted the MSHSL with questions after the students were reinstated. However, the league said it “does not comment on student eligibility situations.”

“I’m glad I was able to meet with MSHSL and clear this matter up for my constituents,” Kreun told Alpha News this week.