Denmark moves to let teachers use physical force in schools

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Denmark banned corporal punishment in schools in 1967. A bill before parliament would let teachers hold disruptive students in place, guide them from a room, or briefly restrain them — authority educators have not had since the ban.

The reform answers rising violence between students. A ministry survey published this month found physical violence among pupils in 55% of classes during 2025, and violence against teachers in roughly one in five.

The bill splits opinion sharply. Teachers' unions welcome clearer rules, while more than 500 education experts and NGOs warn it risks escalation and could turn teachers into enforcers.

Why it matters

If it passes, Danish teachers gain legal authority to physically restrain students for the first time in nearly 60 years.

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Key Indicators

55%

Classes reporting physical violence between pupils in 2025

Ministry survey found violence among students in over half of classes during 2025.

Years since Denmark banned corporal punishment in schools

The 1967 ban has shaped Danish school policy for nearly six decades.

500+

Educators and NGOs who signed an op-ed opposing the bill

More than 500 education experts and organizations protested the reform.

1 Aug 2027

Proposed effective date of the law

The rules would take effect at the start of the 2027-28 school year if passed.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Magnus Heunicke

Danish education minister (Undervisningsminister)

Introduced bill L 45 on October 8, 2026

Stephan Osten

Spokesperson, German Federal Association of Child and Youth Psychotherapy (BvKJ)

Publicly critical of the Danish reform

Kathrin Vitzthum

State chair, Education and Science Union (GEW) Thuringia, Germany

Publicly uncomfortable with the Danish proposal

Organizations Involved

Danish Ministry of Education (Undervisningsministeriet)

Government ministry

Author of the reform bill

The ministry drafted the bill after a survey showed rising violence and disruptive behavior in Danish schools.

Folketing (Danish Parliament)

Legislature

Considering bill L 45

Denmark's unicameral parliament, which must pass the bill before it takes effect.

Timeline

1967 August 2027

6 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

August 2027
Law set to take effect if passed
Upcoming Legal

Proposed effective date at the start of the 2027-28 school year, contingent on Folketing passage.
August 1st, 2027
October 2026
Proposal becomes global news as committee review begins
Today Statement

Worldwide coverage of Denmark's proposed end to the near-60-year ban spreads; the bill heads to committee debate.
Today
First reading held; reform draws international coverage
Legal

Folketing debate begins as outlets including The Telegraph report the reversal of the 1967 restriction.
3 days ago
Education minister introduces bill L 45
Legal

Magnus Heunicke files the bill allowing physical guidance, preventive assistance, and force against disruptive students.
5 days ago
Ministry survey documents classroom violence
Report

Survey found physical violence between pupils in 55% of classes during 2025 and monthly incidents in a third of those.
October 1st, 2026
1967
Denmark bans corporal punishment in schools
Legal

Physical discipline outlawed; for decades teachers could intervene only when a student's safety or others' was at risk.
1967

Scenarios

Folketing passes L 45; physical-force rules take effect in 2027

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Danish teachers' unions, which welcome clearer rules

The bill clears committee and final reading, giving teachers explicit legal authority for physical guidance, preventive assistance, and last-resort force. The law takes effect August 1, 2027 with reporting obligations to parents and municipal councils.

Bill passes with narrowed scope after expert pushback

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: The 500+ experts and NGOs who signed the anti-reform op-ed, student organizations

Committee amendments restrict physical force to clear safety threats and remove the clause covering students who significantly disturb teaching. Reporting requirements are strengthened, and schools must prove de-escalation was tried first.

Bill fails or stalls in parliament

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Opponents who saw the reform as an escalation risk

A negative committee report or a split within the governing coalition defeats the bill. Two centre-left parties had criticized a similar measure before the election, and union or expert pressure could tip the balance.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1967

Denmark bans corporal punishment in schools (1967)

Denmark outlawed corporal punishment in schools, part of a wider Nordic move against physical discipline of children. For nearly 60 years afterward, teachers could intervene physically only when a student's safety or that of others was at immediate risk.

Then

Physical discipline largely vanished from Danish classrooms, and teachers' legal authority to touch students became tightly constrained.

Now

The 1967 norm became a fixture of Danish school policy; the new bill is the first serious effort to broaden that authority since.

Why this matters now

Bill L 45 partially reverses the 1967 restriction, extending force beyond safety threats to cases of psychological harassment and significant disruption of teaching.

Decades to 2026

Germany's standing ban on physical force in schools

German federal and state law has forbidden teachers from disciplining students through physical force for decades. German unions and child-psychotherapy groups treat that ban as a core protection of the teacher-student relationship.

Then

German experts, including GEW Thuringia chair Kathrin Vitzthum and BvKJ spokesperson Stephan Osten, publicly warned against Denmark's proposal.

Now

The German reaction shows how far Denmark's move departs from the dominant European approach to classroom discipline.

Why this matters now

German professionals argue the Danish reform risks escalation and could recast teachers as enforcement authorities, a framing central to the bill's opposition.