Homeschool Co-op Insurance in the US: What Kinds Exist and What a Venue May Ask For

Insurance Canopy is an agency that sells cover to homeschool co-ops. It says homeschool groups are "generally not legally required to carry liability insurance," and that many venues ask for proof of insurance before a co-op can use their space. HSLDA suggests groups that do buy cover start with general liability, and the policies sold to homeschool groups also offer accident medical, abuse and molestation, and directors and officers cover. This page describes what those organizations say. It isn't advice: the right answer for your group depends on your state, your venue and what you do together, so check with your state homeschool association, an insurer or a lawyer.

Do homeschool co-ops need insurance?

Picture your Tuesday. Eight families in a church hall. Circle time with a verse and a clapping game. Jars of water on the painting table. In November, a Martinmas lantern walk with candles in paper lanterns. Most days nothing happens. Now and then a child trips on the step, or a jar of water ends up on the hall's piano.

HSLDA, the Home School Legal Defense Association, puts it this way: "hosting events, activities, and meetings comes with a measure of legal responsibility and risk." Insurance is one way a group plans for that. It isn't the only question, though. The first one is usually practical: does the place you meet ask for it?

The agency's line about legal requirements, quoted above, is one company's general statement. It isn't a ruling for your state or your group. If you want to know whether anything applies where you live, your state's homeschool rules and your state homeschool association are the places to start.

What kinds of insurance exist for homeschool groups?

These are the kinds of cover HSLDA and the insurers who sell to homeschool groups describe. Your group may need some, all or none of them.

• General liability. Covers claims that someone was hurt, or property was damaged, at a group event. HSLDA recommends starting here, "to cover accidents at group events and damage to physical property."
• Accident medical. Pays toward a child's medical costs after an accident at a co-op activity. NCG, HSLDA's insurance partner, describes its accident medical cover as excess, secondary protection. Ask any insurer how theirs works alongside a family's own health insurance.
• Abuse and molestation. NCG includes it in its homeschool group policy, for legal defense against an accusation. Insurance Canopy offers it as an add-on.
• Directors and officers. HSLDA suggests groups with a board "look into officer/director insurance to protect your board members' personal assets in the case of a lawsuit."
• Others. Insurance Canopy's policy for co-ops also lists professional liability and damage to rented premises, with cyber, equipment and workers' compensation as options.

To see what one policy looks like, here are some limits from NCG's published homeschool group policy:

• general liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence
• accident medical: $25,000 per accident
• damage to rented premises: $300,000
• abuse and molestation: $100,000 per incident

That's one insurer's product, shown here as an example, not a recommendation or a benchmark.

What HSLDA says

HSLDA isn't an insurer. Through its partner NCG Insurance, it lists three plans for homeschool groups. One is a support group plan with accident medical and general liability. One covers a single group event. The third is directors and officers cover for nonprofit homeschool organizations. It says it "receives no commission or other benefit from this program" and that the plans are one option among several.

HSLDA also names other insurers that homeschool leaders have reported working with. The list includes Brotherhood Mutual, Mennonite Mutual, Hiscox, State Farm, Church Mutual and Farm Bureau, and Erie Insurance, which it says has insured homeschool groups as "clubs". Carol Topp, a CPA who writes for homeschool groups, adds a caution: insurance is licensed by the states, "so many insurance plans are limited to only a few states." Check that any plan is sold where you live.

Its advice on choosing is simple: talk to an insurance agent about exactly which types suit your group.

What a host venue may ask for

If you meet anywhere other than a home, the venue is often the one asking about insurance. HSLDA tells churches that host a co-op to decide on a rent agreement and "determine if your church's insurance covers the co-op." If it doesn't, the co-op may need its own.

Church Law & Tax, which advises churches, suggests a church ask any outside group for:

• evidence of insurance, in an amount the church accepts
• the church named as an additional insured on the group's policy
• a signed facilities use agreement with hold harmless and indemnification clauses
• where children are involved, a written note that the group's workers have been screened

Carol Topp explains the idea in one line: "Churches can be named as additional insured to cover their property." NCG says a facility can be added in its online portal. The first two additional insured certificates are free, and each one after that costs $35.

When you first talk to a hall or church, ask what they need in writing, before you print the calendar. Our guide to where a co-op can meet covers the other questions to ask a venue.

Does homeowner's insurance cover a co-op at home?

Some small Waldorf-inspired groups start in a living room or a garden. Insurance Canopy says "homeowner's insurance often will not cover group activities involving multiple families, especially if they happen away from your home." Some group policies do list a leader's home among the places they cover. NCG's does.

If you host, ask your own insurer. Describe the real co-op, not a playdate: how many families, how often, what the children do. Put the question in an email so the answer is in writing.

Waivers and release forms

Some co-ops ask families to sign a release each year. Carol Topp explains why a waiver is only part of the picture. A release "can only release from ordinary negligence," minors generally can't release liability, so a parent signs for them, and an injured family can still challenge whether a waiver is valid. She suggests having an attorney licensed in your state look over yours, and notes that insurers often ask groups to collect waivers as well as carry insurance.

Where you keep the forms, and how you remind families to sign them, belongs in your co-op handbook.

What to take to an insurance agent

An agent can only price what you describe. Before you call, write down:

• how many families and children, and their ages
• where you meet, how often, and whether the venue needs to be named on the policy
• what the children actually do: painting, woodworking and whittling, cooking and baking, candles at festivals, outdoor play, walks and outings
• whether any parent is paid to teach
• whether you have a board or officers
• whether your group is informal or registered as a nonprofit

Then ask what each policy covers, what it leaves out, and whether it's sold in your state. When you have a quote, it goes in the insurance line of your co-op budget, and it's often part of what the co-op fee pays for.

None of this is legal, tax or insurance advice. The organizations quoted here describe their own products and views. For a decision about your group, check with your state homeschool association, an insurer or a lawyer. For the wider picture of starting and running a group, see our co-ops and pods guide.