Response to interpellation 2025/26:504 on violence and harassment in boarding schools
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L argues that violations and violence are never acceptable 1 and that school owners and principals have a great responsibility for a safe school environment 1. L emphasizes that the government has implemented measures such as knowledge support and new legislation 1 2 3, and proposes stricter conditions for independent schools including fines and compulsory management 2 3. L emphasizes the importance of respecting legislation 4, but argues that staff have a duty to report suspicions that children are being harmed 4 and that schools still report too little 4. L proposes an absolute requirement for reporting crimes 4 and undercover work from Skolinspektionen 4. S argues that there is a systematic culture of violence at Lundsberg 5, that the reaction from the minister is too weak 6 and that all children are equally worthy 7. S argues that there is a system for reporting concerns to social services 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! Gustaf Lantz has asked me how I and the government intend to act in light of what has emerged regarding how children suffer in boarding school environments, and whether there is reason to clarify the headmaster's responsibility for what happens after school hours at a boarding school.
I have taken note of SVT's reportage which the question is based on. As a minister, I cannot comment on individual cases. I do, however, really want to emphasize that nowhere in our society is it acceptable to violate, discriminate, or use violence illegally. This applies to both schools and boarding schools, and regardless of whether the Education Act is applicable or not.
I also want to be very clear that all children and students shall be treated with respect and be safe and secure in their school environment. Students must not be discriminated against in school. A particularly great responsibility rests on heads of schools and principals. They are responsible for ensuring that the school works goal-orientedly against discrimination and offensive treatment, as well as for ensuring that all students have a school environment characterized by safety and study. This includes, among other things, working preventatively against discrimination and offensive treatment, investigating reports, and taking measures.
I want to emphasize that all schools shall convey and anchor respect for human rights and for the fundamental democratic values that our society rests upon.
The Government has implemented several measures to increase safety and improve the learning environment for students. The Government has, among other things, tasked Skolverket, the Crime Prevention Council, and Socialstyrelsen with developing knowledge and methodological support for crime prevention work in schools.
The Riksdag has recently adopted the government's proposal aimed at creating better conditions for safety and study in schools. For example, it shall become possible in certain cases to deny a student access to the school if the student threatens the safety of other students and staff. The bill also clarifies the head of the school's and the principal's responsibility for safety and study in the school.
During the mandate period, the government has also worked on the new chapter on security work for crime prevention purposes, which has been introduced in the Education Act to strengthen protection against violence and threats.
The government is not satisfied with this; we want more. Therefore, on May 13, the government decided on the referral to the Council on Legislation, *Stricter conditions for the free school sector*. The referral to the Council on Legislation contains, among other things, proposals to give the Swedish Schools Inspectorate more and sharper tools. This involves, for example, giving the authority the possibility to decide on sanction fees and on state measures for correction, which is a type of compulsory administration, even for independent schools.
I know at the same time that more than legislation is required. Since the government took office, the Skolinspektionen's inspection activities have therefore been strengthened with over 140 million distributed over three years. The government has also strengthened the governance so that the agency can focus even more on supervision. This means that in more cases, Skolinspektionen can use more powerful tools to act against school owners and principals who violate the school's regulations.
The Swedish Schools Inspectorate can, for example, issue orders with a fine. If the irregularities are judged to be very serious, the Swedish Schools Inspectorate also has the possibility to revoke the approval for individual principals and to temporarily close schools. The Swedish Schools Inspectorate can also, within two years from the decision on the order, decide to, for example, revoke the approval.
For the government, it is obvious to pursue a policy and take measures that solve the problems that exist within Swedish schools. Therefore, it is important to continue following the developments so that all children and students shall be safe at their school.
Gustaf Lantz (S)
Madam Speaker! I know that many among me are upset about the video clips that students themselves recorded at Lundsberg and which have now been shown on SVT. There have been testimonies about so-called gas chambers where several students are locked in a small space and sprayed with deodorant until the children vomit. Then they are forced back in and to stay until they have thrown up again. A judgment has been issued earlier because children were burned with irons. Students are hunted, are wrestled to the ground breathless and shoved in headfirst into plastic bags. Added to this are racism and gross antisemitic statements about how Hitler should have completed the Holocaust and that we should take up that baton here today in Sweden.
It is not only the violence that stands out; it is also the systematic nature. There is a point system that is maintained with violence. Older students are to oppress the younger ones. There are historical reasons for this. The role model is English boarding schools where they were to be raised to go out and judge over subjects in colonies.
Sweden and the Swedish school shall be characterized by democracy and equal treatment, but that is not the case. This debate is not only about the students at Lundsberg. There is only one yardstick for human rights and for what students should have to endure. It is common for all of Sweden.
I have personally met parents of children who have taken their own lives after being subjected to very severe bullying in Swedish schools. I think about what they are thinking now when they see these pictures and hear about the bullying, the humiliation, and the cover-up that the school engages in.
When I worked at Hyresgästföreningen, I came into contact with bedbugs. Students who had been backpacking in Asia had brought such things home to their student rooms. I thought it was a nightmare – but even worse is actually having fascism in the walls. That is something one has not gotten rid of in Lundsberg in all these years.
Does the Minister for Education think it is a systemic failure that this has been able to be repeated over and over again? Does the Minister feel, as I do, that we have been deceived every time Lundsberg has been caught with this pedalism and promised reform? Nothing has happened. The principal himself calls Lundsberg a sect.
Is it not time that we give society the resources required to shut down such activities? You are obviously unable to manage this and instead allow an order that is based on older students using violence to push down younger students, and where, despite school staff being present, people express themselves in a grossly antisemitic manner towards students. Is it not time that Swedish society steps up?
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! As I said initially, I cannot in my role comment on individual cases. However, it is very important to establish exactly what Gustaf Lantz says: The legislation applies equally in Sweden. Both the Education Act and other parts of our legislation state that it is forbidden to violate people, expose them to racism, and so on. The school naturally has a particularly great responsibility to curb this and ensure that students are not violated.
But the legislation has also been too weak. Therefore, we are now proposing, for example, an increased responsibility for the principal but also for the head of the school to act. We will ensure that we get legislation with mandatory school rules that shall apply to all students in the schools.
We are making changes to the private school law which, for example, also make it possible for the School Inspectorate to issue fines, not just coercive fines, as is the case today. Coercive fines work in such a way that you have to pay a sum of money if you do not comply with what is stated in the order. Fines, on the other hand, you receive naturally regardless of whether you intend to improve or not.
We also propose now that we should introduce a possibility to compulsorily manage independent schools. That possibility exists when it concerns municipal schools – it has existed for a number of years and has been used on two occasions in Sweden. But now we also propose that the state should be able to compulsorily manage independent schools that do not manage themselves.
In addition to this, we are now also ensuring that the Education Act receives an entirely new chapter concerning school safety, where we establish that the principal has a legal obligation to report crimes to the police, unless there are specific reasons that argue against it. I believe this will have a major impact in cases like this one. If the principal sees a crime in the school's world, it shall be reported to the police – period, end of story.
Gustaf Lantz (S)
Madam Speaker! One part of the SVT documentary that really touched me was when Daniela Fielding was interviewed. She worked as a housekeeper at Lundsberg and raised the alarm. She was a whistleblower and paid a very high price. What she said in the documentary was: I did not want to close Lundsberg, but I did not want people to be harmed. She was subjected to what is called in the documentary the Lundsberg classic – a method that consists of sending out people, students, to deny that there are problems and to defend the school so that it can continue with its pennalism.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Daniela so that she actually receives a thank you and a recognition for what she has done for Swedish school, for the students at Lundsberg and for all of us. It has cost her a lot, and she is worthy of a thank you.
In my room, I have two photographs that I have received from parents of children who have taken their lives after bullying in Swedish schools. It is a picture of Måns and a picture of Karolina. I look at them every day. There are many of us who are fighting so that there will be more like Daniela, who takes responsibility – against bullying and abuse in Swedish schools. It is important, because it can prevent children from taking their lives.
But now they are at it again. On SVT, there was a debate program, and students and others who had been bussed in said that there are no problems. Daniela was subjected to what we call gaslighting, the worst thing you can do to someone who has been bullied or subjected to oppression. They say that it is probably actually that person's fault; there is nothing to see. Now it is at it again.
One thing is that authors and bloggers use their channels to thousands of followers to spread veils of mist. But that we have a member of the Swedish Riksdag who lends himself to this is a scandal. A party friend of the minister, Martin Melin, goes out and says: My child has not suffered anything – now we look forward; there is nothing to see. That signal is so harmful for everyone who suffers from bullying, not just at Lundsberg but at all Swedish schools. I think he should apologize. I think he should be ashamed, and I actually think the Minister for Education should distance himself from such behavior.
So again: What is the government prepared to do to act in this matter? It is obvious that it just keeps rolling on. I have an unpleasant déjà vu feeling that it will be the same thing again as after children were burned with irons. There will be a storm in the media for a few weeks, and those associated with the school will step up to defend it. Then it continues with the point system and the division between the guts, those in grade 9, and the three people in grade 3 who sit and decide.
I think the reaction from the minister is too weak, when we have seen these horrific scenes and heard these horrific statements, with racism and antisemitism.
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! During my time as first school minister and now responsible high school minister, we have proposed and made the largest changes in the independent school area since the independent schools were introduced. These are important changes: the possibility of fines, the possibility to more easily withdraw permits, and the possibility to place independent schools under compulsory management.
But it is also about the school system as a whole. We have major problems with threats and violence in our schools, generally speaking. We see, for example, that the reports to the Swedish Work Environment Authority have increased by 150 percent over the last ten years. The vast majority of these reports concern teachers who are threatened or subjected to violence by students. We must address this, and that is also why the Riksdag has adopted new legislation – to ensure that bullying, threats, violence, and harassment are addressed.
I want to point out once again that we now have legislation stating that the principal shall report when he or she perceives that, for example, a crime was committed at the school. I assume that that tool is also being used.
When it generally concerns the boarding schools – we have a few in Sweden – it is clear that an even heavier responsibility rests on the adult world to ensure that the children are protected since they are there around the clock. It is naturally a particularly heavy responsibility for the principal of such a school.
But it is also important for me to say that this is a matter for the School Inspectorate and, eventually, naturally – if the School Inspectorate decides, for example, on a fine or on withdrawing a permit – for our courts to decide. This is a principle that we have in Sweden generally speaking: that the responsible minister does not intervene in individual cases. I think that, fundamentally, it is a good principle.
But it is clear that the type of testimony that Gustaf Lantz is speaking about now, but also testimony from other schools where children are harmed, has led to tightenings of the free school legislation but also tightenings when it comes to school safety in general and when it comes to safety and study environment.
Is this enough? I don't know. I don't dare say. We have had too lax legislation in many areas in Sweden, and we are working very hard to tighten it up and ensure that we get clearer regulations both for municipalities and for independent principals in a number of different areas. I think that is good.
Gustaf Lantz (S)
Madam Speaker! I also do not think that politicians should review the courts' judgments. Police reports have been filed, and sentences have been handed down, for example when a student was burned with an iron. This did not lead to any permanent closure of the school. Now we have a new judgment that has not yet become final. It concerns a group assault, where a crime against public order was committed while a student was sleeping, and the person was assaulted with, among other things, a sharp object. We will have to see what it becomes in a higher instance.
I mean that we must be able to talk about the systemic issues. We have a school that is built on a hierarchy of superiors and subordinates maintained by violence, and where there is a points system. Adults are present when this happens. We have seen the pictures. We as politicians must be able to talk about the school system and the blind spot that obviously exists when it comes to these issues.
When I see our Minister for Social Services, Camilla Waltersson, here in the room, I would also like to take the opportunity to remind [you] of the possibility of reporting concerns about children. Lundsberg is not a free zone for how children and people should be treated. We have a system in Sweden where one can make a report of concern that the social services can take a position on.
Is it the parents who have failed in their parental responsibility? Do they mistreat the children in school? Do those who, so to speak, are proxies in parenting at a boarding school do enough? Do they mistreat the child? Are interventions needed?
This also applies even if they are children of billionaires or millionaires. For me, it is obvious that all children are equally worthy regardless of whether they attend Gottsundaskolan or Lundsbergs skola. Take note of this, you who are watching! Do not forget that the possibility exists to report concerns about children who are mistreated even at Lundsberg.
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! I think it is incredibly important to establish respect for the legislation we have: the Education Act, the Act on Independent Schools, and the Social Services Act. It is not just about an opportunity to make a report of concern, as Gustaf Lantz says. Staff within preschools and schools have a duty to report to social services when they suspect that a child is being harmed. That legislation already exists, but I would say that schools still report to a lesser extent than they should, even though this has become much better in recent years.
In addition to this, we are introducing an absolute requirement that the principal must also report suspected crimes. We have also strengthened the School Inspectorate's capabilities to conduct more targeted supervision, but it is clear that I would like to go even further. The School Inspectorate could, for example, work undercover, that is, without announcing visits in advance, or interview students about their experiences without the target finding out.
There are a number of different additional changes that we should make regarding our school system. However, this government has done very much in this area specifically when it comes to curbing bullying and children's vulnerability. But I really want to emphasize that what we have seen in this documentary is not okay regardless of which school it is. A special responsibility rests on boarding schools specifically because they have the children around the clock.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.