Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) - The number of unvaccinated students with religious exemptions in Monroe County public schools has doubled in the last five years.

It jumped from .39 percent in the 2012-2013 school year, to .77 percent in the 2017-2018 school year.

As the new school year approaches some families are trying to figure out how to continue their children’s education under a new state law.

This fall, unvaccinated students will no longer be able to use religious exemptions to attend school, causing more families to look at keeping their kids home to learn.

Some of those parents were at the Great Homeschool Convention (GHC) in Rochester on Saturday.

Nathaniel and Caryn Gilbert have been home-schooling their children for several years.

“Home-schooling allows us to individualize the education and enables us to instill our values and enables us to do a lot of fun things as a family together.”

Other families at the convention were there for the first time, including Mike Torgerson and his 8-year-old son Henry.

Because of the new state law that no longer allows religious exemptions as a reason for kids to be unvaccinated, Henry will be home-schooled this year.

“It seemed like there was a lot of pressure to make a harsh decision really quickly, and this was the solution to let everyone breathe a little and come up with another option,” said Torgerson.

The organization "Loving Education at Home", or LEAH, promotes home education.

Dan DiFrancesco, with LEAH, says that since news of the law change came out, the organization has seen an increase in the number of parents considering homeschooling as an option.

“Take ownership of educating your kids,” said DiFrancesco. “See what works best for your family and then pursue it within the laws and opportunities available to you.”

Torgerson says homeschooling may only be a temporary option. He is considering moving his family out of state at the end of the school year because of this law.

His son Henry says he can't wait to get started with his new education.

“I'm really excited to do it with my dad," he said.

The law gives unvaccinated students up to 30 days after they enter a school to show they have had the first dose of each required vaccine.

Another GHC event at Rochester Riverside Convention center will be between July 30 and August 1, 2020.