Danish teachers will be granted permission to use physical force in classrooms amid complaints of rising violence.
A reform proposed by the centre-Left government this week will allow teachers to use physical restraint to remove disruptive students from August next year. This means “holding a student, keep them in place, or take them to another room against their will”.
Currently, teachers are only allowed to use force if a student poses a danger to themselves, others or school property.
The law, written by the ministry of education, follows calls from the national teachers’ union which has long said it is growing more difficult to manage disruptive students.
The bill states that physical intervention may only be used in exceptional circumstances and must be proportionate. Parents and the municipal council must also be notified in any case of physical force.
Magnus Heunicke, the minister for education, said: “Teachers must not be left in doubt about what they are allowed to do when a situation escalates.
“And no teacher should fear being fired for stepping in when necessary in a violent situation.”
For nearly 60 years, the use of force in schools has been effectively banned in Denmark, which outlawed corporal punishment in 1967.
But Danish teachers are grappling with rising violence among children, particularly in the younger years, and say they fear repercussions if they intervene.
A survey published by the ministry of education on Oct 1, found that physical violence between pupils was reported at least once in 55 per cent of classes during 2025, with incidents occurring at least once a month in 36 per cent of those.
Physical violence was reported in 75 per cent of classes in the youngest grades of 0 to 3 (Reception to Year 3), falling to 59 per cent in grades four to six and 27 per cent in grades seven to 10.
Most violence was concentrated among a small number of pupils, with 60 per cent of classes with reported incidents claiming just one or two children were involved.
The study found no general association between pupils’ ethnicity and higher levels of violence or aggressive behaviour.
“Over the past year, one in three teachers refrained from using physical contact to restore calm in the classroom, out of fear of negative repercussions,” said Gordon Orskov Madsen, the president of the teachers’ union.
The law was originally drafted by Mattias Tesfaye, the former education minister, last autumn.
Mr Tesfaye had said he wanted to prioritise returning “discipline” and “authority” to his schools and had condemned parents who had given their children a “pissedarligt opdragede” – meaning “s----- upbringing”.
The bill attracted controversy, with more than 500 education experts and non-governmental organisations previously signing an op-ed protesting against the reform.
Rasmus Kjeldahl, the director of the National Children’s Rights Association, said he was concerned the “bond of trust between students and their teachers will be broken if teachers act like police officers”.
The bill echoes legislation in England, which states teachers can use reasonable physical force to prevent disruption but never as a punishment.
Staff are allowed to use minimal, necessary force to prevent injury to students or staff or restore order.
Corporal punishment is still allowed in 15 US states.
The most recent data from the US department of education’s civil rights data collection reports 32,000 instances of corporal punishment being used on children between five and 18 in the 2021-22 school year – around one reported incident per 2,000 students.
According to NPR, Mississippi had the highest rate of corporal punishment that year.
The American Psychological Association says such punishment can lower a child’s self-esteem and have chronic consequences, such as creating in the child “the impression that he or she is an ‘undesirable person’”.
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[ 0.37 ms ] story [ 11.7 ms ] threadA reform proposed by the centre-Left government this week will allow teachers to use physical restraint to remove disruptive students from August next year. This means “holding a student, keep them in place, or take them to another room against their will”.
Currently, teachers are only allowed to use force if a student poses a danger to themselves, others or school property.
The law, written by the ministry of education, follows calls from the national teachers’ union which has long said it is growing more difficult to manage disruptive students.
The bill states that physical intervention may only be used in exceptional circumstances and must be proportionate. Parents and the municipal council must also be notified in any case of physical force.
Magnus Heunicke, the minister for education, said: “Teachers must not be left in doubt about what they are allowed to do when a situation escalates.
“And no teacher should fear being fired for stepping in when necessary in a violent situation.”
For nearly 60 years, the use of force in schools has been effectively banned in Denmark, which outlawed corporal punishment in 1967.
But Danish teachers are grappling with rising violence among children, particularly in the younger years, and say they fear repercussions if they intervene.
A survey published by the ministry of education on Oct 1, found that physical violence between pupils was reported at least once in 55 per cent of classes during 2025, with incidents occurring at least once a month in 36 per cent of those.
Physical violence was reported in 75 per cent of classes in the youngest grades of 0 to 3 (Reception to Year 3), falling to 59 per cent in grades four to six and 27 per cent in grades seven to 10.
Most violence was concentrated among a small number of pupils, with 60 per cent of classes with reported incidents claiming just one or two children were involved.
The study found no general association between pupils’ ethnicity and higher levels of violence or aggressive behaviour.
“Over the past year, one in three teachers refrained from using physical contact to restore calm in the classroom, out of fear of negative repercussions,” said Gordon Orskov Madsen, the president of the teachers’ union.
The law was originally drafted by Mattias Tesfaye, the former education minister, last autumn.
Mr Tesfaye had said he wanted to prioritise returning “discipline” and “authority” to his schools and had condemned parents who had given their children a “pissedarligt opdragede” – meaning “s----- upbringing”.
The bill attracted controversy, with more than 500 education experts and non-governmental organisations previously signing an op-ed protesting against the reform.
Rasmus Kjeldahl, the director of the National Children’s Rights Association, said he was concerned the “bond of trust between students and their teachers will be broken if teachers act like police officers”.
The bill echoes legislation in England, which states teachers can use reasonable physical force to prevent disruption but never as a punishment.
Staff are allowed to use minimal, necessary force to prevent injury to students or staff or restore order.
Corporal punishment is still allowed in 15 US states.
The most recent data from the US department of education’s civil rights data collection reports 32,000 instances of corporal punishment being used on children between five and 18 in the 2021-22 school year – around one reported incident per 2,000 students.
According to NPR, Mississippi had the highest rate of corporal punishment that year.
The American Psychological Association says such punishment can lower a child’s self-esteem and have chronic consequences, such as creating in the child “the impression that he or she is an ‘undesirable person’”.