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Education Act Chapter 9A — the right to a safe and good school environment

Opplæringsloven Chapter 9A is the legal backbone of anti-bullying work in Norway. The core principle is that every pupil has the right to a safe and good school environment that promotes health, wellbeing and learning. See also the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training's resources on school environment for practical guidance.

"Safe and good" is a subjective judgement made by the pupil. If your child experiences the school environment as unsafe, the school is obliged to act — regardless of whether adults judge the situation "not that serious".

This is a strong right. The school cannot reply "we have looked at it and think it is fine". The child's experience is what counts.

The duty to act — five steps

§9A-4 imposes a duty to act (aktivitetsplikt) on the school in five steps, whenever there is suspicion or knowledge that a pupil does not have a safe and good school environment:

1. Pay attention

All adults at the school — teachers, assistants, after-school-programme staff, the principal (rektor) — must actively monitor how pupils are doing. It is not enough to "react when someone reports it". The school must have routines to pick things up early.

2. Intervene

If an adult sees bullying, harassment, exclusion or harassment, they are obliged to intervene on the spot when possible and safe. This also applies to digital cases — if the school learns of bullying on social media that affects its pupils.

3. Report internally

Every staff member who suspects or knows about problems must report to the principal. The principal must report to the municipality in serious cases.

4. Investigate

The school must investigate the case — speak to the pupils involved, observe, document. The purpose is not to "dismiss the concern", but to find out what is actually happening.

5. Put measures in place

The school must write a written activity plan (aktivitetsplan) with concrete measures — not general statements of intent. The plan must:

Describe the problem concretely
List measures to be put in place
Say who is responsible
Have deadlines for completion and evaluation

Parents must receive a copy of the plan. The pupil must be heard.

What parents can demand

When you as a parent report a concern, you have the right to:

A meeting with the school within a short time (days, not weeks)
Written feedback on what the school plans to do
A written activity plan after investigation
Ongoing information about how the measures are working
Evaluation of whether the school has met its duty to act

If the school does nothing, trivialises, or simply "talks to" the parties, they have probably breached the duty to act.

Appealing to the County Governor

If the school does not do enough, you can appeal to the County Governor (Statsforvalteren, formerly Fylkesmannen) for your county.

The appeal should:

Describe the child and the situation
Show that the case has been reported to the school in writing
Explain what the school has done and why this is not enough
Attach copies of correspondence

The County Governor normally handles the case within 4–8 weeks. If they find that the school has breached §9A, they can:

Require the school to put specific measures in place
Demand evaluation and feedback
In serious cases, require the municipality to change its routines

The County Governor's ruling is legally binding on the school. If you want to see how schools publish their activity plans, look at school pages in larger municipalities — for example Oslo, where schools like Marienlyst skole publish routines and contact information for their school-environment work.

Legal assistance

For very serious cases, consider legal assistance. This is relevant if:

The child has suffered mental or physical harm from bullying
The school continues to ignore its duty to act
You are considering a compensation claim

Many insurance policies include legal-aid cover (rettshjelpdekning) that may pay for a lawyer — check your household contents policy. A lawyer specialising in education law can help with both the complaint and any compensation claim.

The Ombudsperson for Children and the Bullying Ombudsperson (Mobbeombudet) in each county also provide free guidance. You do not need to face this alone.

What counts as bullying? Definition and scope

The legal threshold is that the pupil experiences offensive treatment. This can include:

Repeated exclusion
Verbal harassment (shouting, rumours, nicknames)
Physical assault
Digital bullying (messages, images, video)
Racism, sexism, homophobia, other hate-based violations
Adult violations of pupils — staff are also covered by §9A

Note: a single conflict is not always bullying. The school must still respond if the child experiences a lack of safety.

The transition to lower-secondary school

Lower-secondary school age (ungdomsskole, years 8–10) is statistically the hardest period. Digital bullying explodes, the social hierarchy sharpens, and children hold more back from adults. Early warning signs:

The child withdraws, becomes quiet
Loses interest in leisure activities
Sleep problems, headaches
Loss of appetite
"Forgets" books or equipment to avoid school

Take every such signal seriously — do not wait for it to "pass". Prolonged lack of safety can also develop into school refusal (Norwegian only) — see that article for what you can do.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if the school does not act? Report in writing to the principal, then to the municipality, then to the County Governor. Document everything. The school can be ordered to take measures, and in extreme cases the matter can have compensation consequences.

Are we entitled to a school transfer? Not automatically, but it is a possible solution if the school cannot create a safe environment. Applications for school transfer are normally processed quickly in bullying cases. See bytte skole (Norwegian only).

Does insurance cover a psychologist? Health insurance often covers a psychologist, and the municipal health service or the Educational-Psychological Service (PPT) can also help. For prolonged problems, consider a referral to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (BUP) via your family doctor.

Can we claim compensation from the municipality? Yes, in principle. If the school has breached its duty to act and this has caused harm (e.g. mental-health problems), compensation liability may be considered. This requires legal assistance and documentation over time.

What if the teacher is the bully? §9A also covers staff violations of pupils. Report directly to the principal, and if the principal does not act, directly to the municipality. The school must take measures even when the staff member is the problem.

Is it legal to record audio to prove bullying? Recordings of conversations you are part of are legal. Secret recordings of other people's conversations are not. Written notes and SMS/chat logs are strong documentation.

Bullying in Norwegian schools — your rights and the school's duties