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Everything We Know About Denmark’s Controversial Plan to Let Teachers Physically Restrain Students

It seems like a good idea before you start to think harder…

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In various respects, Denmark, which is often referred to as one of the happiest countries in the world, has long set a most excellent example for other nations to follow. Again, as of late, Denmark has become a topic of discussion internationally, but we’re not yet sure that it is for the right reasons this time. If all goes according to plan, teachers will be allowed to physically restrain and remove disruptive primary-school students from August 2027 onward. Granted, the final bill won’t be presented until February 2026, and many have already stepped up in protest.

The original proposal was drafted this past autumn by now former Minister for Education and Children Mat­tias Tes­faye (a man who, in blaming the effects of bad parenting for aggravating the environment in classrooms, used foul language himself). Denmark has not allowed the application of physical force in schools since 1967, when corporal punishment in schools was banned nationwide. Within the US, for example, there are still some states that allow corporal punishment in institutions of learning.

Let it be understood, Denmark’s new bill is not a green light to be cruel. On the contrary, it clarifies that force is only to be used only as a last resort. It should be “gentle and short-lived as........

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