Danish public school teachers say they are receiving large numbers of requests from parents for special arrangements for their children. Some teachers say the volume affects teaching.
Public broadcaster DR published an interactive article on September 24, 2026, based on real messages sent by parents to teachers in the folkeskole. The piece presents seven dilemmas and asks readers to decide as if they were the teacher for a day.
The examples include a pupil who is to stay indoors during breaks, and a pupil who needs ear defenders. Another example involves a boy who wants to hand in a “pause card” when he has had enough and wants to go home.
According to DR, the messages were anonymized, and the names of the pupils were invented. Teachers who spoke to the broadcaster said a single class can contain as many as 20 pupils with so-called special agreements.
Teachers opened their inboxes
In a companion report published the same day, DR wrote that several teachers opened their email inboxes to show examples from their working days. Per that reporting, the teachers said the issue is not necessarily the individual arrangements themselves, but the sheer number of requests.
The teachers told DR that the quantity has grown so large that in several places it directly affects classroom teaching. DR reported that requests arrive daily and in large volumes.
DR also reported that some parental requests can be well founded. One parent described an arrangement under which teachers warn her daughter in advance about changes to the schedule and about new activities.
Published after weak PISA results
DR noted that the examples come after what it described as historically poor PISA results for Danish pupils. Following those results, parents have been encouraged to engage more in their children’s schooling, according to the broadcaster.
In separate coverage, DR reported that attention turned toward parents after the results, alongside warnings against singling out scapegoats. The PISA results have been the subject of continued debate about the Danish school system.
The folkeskole is Denmark’s municipal public school system, covering compulsory education. Recent policy debate has also touched on mandatory school tests and pupil assessment.
DR’s interactive examples were compiled by reporters Anna Rosenfeldt Christensen and Rasmus Jungersen. The broadcaster stated that the dilemmas reflect situations teachers handle in their everyday work.
DR did not name the schools or the teachers involved in the examples. The broadcaster said the material was anonymized before publication.
