Denmark plans to let teachers physically remove violent or disruptive pupils from class

What the bill would allow

The Social Democrat government has presented a draft law that would let teachers hold violent or seriously disruptive pupils and, if necessary, take them out of the classroom against their will. The bill distinguishes between physical guidance, such as escorting a pupil out of the room who does not resist, and the use of force, such as stepping into a violent dispute between two pupils. Under current rules, teachers may intervene only when a pupil endangers themselves, others or school property. Any intervention would have to be exceptional, proportionate and as brief as possible. Parents and the municipal council would have to be informed in every case. The rules would cover public and private schools and are due to apply from 27 August 2027.

Why the government says it is needed

Education Minister Magnus Heunicke said teachers should have no doubt about what they may do when a situation escalates, and that no teacher should fear dismissal for intervening in a violent situation when necessary. The government points to a survey published by the ministry on 1 October 2026, which found that in 2025 physical violence between pupils was reported at least once in 55% of classes. In 36% of those classes, incidents occurred at least once a month. In 60% of classes with reported incidents, teachers said only one or two children were involved, and the study found no general link between pupils' ethnicity and higher levels of violence.

The share of teachers who experienced physical violence rose from nearly 10% in 2021 to 18% in 2025. The union chairman, Gordon Orskov Madsen, said that in the past year one in three teachers had refrained from physical contact to restore calm, fearing negative consequences.

Support and doubts in Denmark

Heunicke presented the bill, which is backed by the liberal Venstre party and the conservative Moderates. The three parties do not have a majority in parliament and need further support, so it remains unclear whether the law will pass. The bill was first drafted last autumn by Mattias Tesfaye, a former education minister. The Danish teachers' union welcomes the proposal but demands clear rules so that teachers have legal certainty when they intervene. Child rights advocates warn that violence escalates conflicts and destroys trust, and argue that struggling children need more care rather than strictness. Some experts warn that the law pours oil on an already heated mood in schools.

Reactions in Germany and Switzerland

In Germany, teachers' associations are sceptical of the proposal and focus mainly on prevention. In Switzerland, a study in Zurich found that pupils reported experiencing and carrying out violence more often than in 2014, with psychological violence reported most frequently. Corporal punishment is banned across all cantons, and Blick describes the Swiss approach as more restrictive than Denmark's. The Swiss umbrella association of teachers, LCH, takes a different view from its Danish counterparts. Beat A. Schwendimann, head of pedagogy at the LCH, said:

The LCH sees no reason to transfer the Danish model to Switzerland.

He noted that Swiss teachers already may and must intervene when pupils endanger themselves or others, for example to end a fight.