Punishments at school.

Rules

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

There are some basic rules for giving a punishment. A punishment must fit the behavior. To avoid unfairness, it is important that similar behavior is punished the same way. Also, all punishments must allow the education of the student to continue, unless the student is permanently removed.

Sending out

Sometimes a student shows behavior in class that is not allowed. A teacher can give extra work or make the student stay after school for half a day. If warnings do not work, the teacher can choose to give a time-out. This means the student is sent out of the classroom for a short time. Usually, the student does other school tasks in the hallway and is not free. These punishments are informal education measures. Suspension or removal is different. These are formal order measures.

Suspension

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

The following rules apply:

• The duration is at most 5 school days.
• The suspension decision and its reason are sent to parents by letter.
• The school governing body informs the education inspectorate if the suspension lasts longer than one day.

Read more about suspension

Removal

Removal is much more serious than suspension. The student shows behavior that the school can no longer handle. The student is permanently denied access to 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 is for serious threats or weapon possession. The school must carefully think about the effect of reporting on the student, as the student might get a criminal record. School governing bodies must have a reporting policy as part of the safety plan. This policy tells students, parents and staff when a report is always made and when it is reviewed if a report is needed.

Disagree with a punishment

If parents disagree with a punishment, they can contact the teacher or school management. For example, when property is taken away. A mobile phone can be a reason for parents to let their child go to school alone or keep them informed about urgent private matters. According to a decision by the national complaints committee, the phone had to be returned to the student after the last hour. This is different for knives or other sharp or threatening objects. Parents can also file a complaint.

It is possible to object to suspension or removal. Parents can ask the school to reconsider the decision. An objection must be filed in writing within 6 weeks after the decision with the school governing body. The objection must be in writing. The school offers parents and possibly the student a chance to explain the objection in person. The school must then reply within four weeks if they will reconsider or keep the decision. The school governing body then makes a new decision or keeps the old one.