After the mass shooting in Örebro, the government is now moving forward with proposals to strengthen school safety.
We are working intensively to increase safety for students, teachers, and other staff members at schools, says Education Minister Johan Pehrson (L).
He states that they will swiftly proceed with the proposals presented by the school safety inquiry in December. The goal is for them to come into effect on July 1 this year.
In some areas, we want to go further than the inquiry, says Pehrson.
Searching Bags
Before the autumn term, the government wants to introduce a new safety chapter into the Education Act. This will require schools to be prepared for serious violent situations through training, planning, and practice, such as lockdowns.
All schools should have an emergency plan so that everyone knows how to act in an acute situation, says Pehrson.
Schools will be given the opportunity to search bags. The inquiry's proposal covered upper secondary school and high school, but after the mass shooting in Örebro, the government wants the entire primary school and adult education to be included.
The inquiry also proposed that bag searches should always be announced in advance, but the government does not agree.
Our ambition is to change the proposal, says Pehrson.
He states that when the school, ultimately the principal, believes that there is a risk of disruptive objects or if there are activities that cause concern, all students' bags can be searched without prior notice.
The principal will make the decision on how it will be done, says the Education Minister.
Locked Schools?
Pehrson emphasizes, however, that if the school believes that a student has brought a weapon, it should be reported directly to the police.
The safety chapter in the Education Act also means that all preschools and schools should work to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the school premises during operating hours.
This can, for example, involve strengthening access control with entrance checks and a tag system with locked doors, says Pehrson.
TT: Should all schools be locked?
That's up to the principal to decide, says Pehrson.
We see great value in it. Entrance checks are one way.
Principals will also be required to report crimes that occur in connection with school activities.
