Straffen op school.

Play rules

Physical punishments are forbidden by law. There are no other rules about punishments in the education laws. The school may make these rules itself. A secondary school must include the rules in the student statute and a primary school in the school rules. The school participation council has the right to agree if it concerns rules.

There are some basic principles for giving a punishment. A punishment must fit the behavior. To avoid unfairness, it is important that similar behavior is punished the same way. Finally, for all punishments the school gives, education must continue for the student unless the student is permanently removed.

Sending out

Sometimes a student shows behavior in class that is not good. A teacher can then for example give extra work or make the student stay after school for an afternoon. If warning many times does not help, the teacher can decide to give a time-out. This means the student is sent out of the classroom for a while. Usually, the student does other school tasks in the hallway and is not free. These punishments are informal educational measures in law. Suspension or removal is different. These are formal order measures.

Suspension

A suspension means the student cannot come to school and must do schoolwork at home instead. School must keep the learning process going. The teacher gives homework and checks it. Tests are done digitally if possible.

The following rules apply:

• The period is a maximum of five school days.
• The suspension decision with the reason is sent by letter to parents.
• The school governing body informs the education inspectorate if suspension lasts more than one day.

Read more about suspension

Removal

Removal is much more than suspension. The student shows behavior that the school cannot handle anymore. The student is banned permanently from the school. The procedure for removing students is set by law. The decision to remove a student is made by the school. It is possible to object to this decision. The removal decision must be made carefully.

Read more about removal

Report

In serious cases, a school can report to the police. This happens with serious threats or carrying weapons. The school must carefully see the effect of reporting on the student because the student can get a criminal record. School governing bodies must have a report policy as part of their safety plan. This policy tells students, parents, and staff clearly when a report is always made and when it is considered if a report is needed.

Disagreeing with a punishment

If parents disagree with an educational measure, they can contact the teacher or school leader. For example, about taking away belongings. A mobile phone can be a reason for parents to let their child go to school alone or to keep them informed about urgent private matters. According to a ruling by the National complaints committee education, the phone should go back to the student after the last hour for that reason. That is different with knives and other sharp or threatening objects. Parents can also file a complaint.

For suspension and removal, it is possible to object. Parents can ask the school to review the decision. An objection letter must be sent to the school governing body within six weeks after the decision. The objection is sent in writing. The school then gives parents and possibly the student a chance to explain the objection in person. The school must then tell within four weeks if it will review the decision or keep it. The school governing body then makes a new decision or keeps the old one.