High school absenteeism is prompting local politicians to turn their attention to parents: 'We can't just check our children in and out of school'

In Dragør, they hope to combat high absenteeism by getting parents to take more responsibility.

Parents need to be more aware not to take holidays outside the normal school holidays and thereby give their children absence, says the chairman of the Children, Citizens and Welfare Committee in Dragør, Henrik Kjærsvold-Niclasen (V). (Photo: © Signe Goldmann, Ritzau Scanpix)

Parental responsibility should be one of the key words in the new school policy in Dragør Municipality.

In the 2024/25 school year, students in the municipality had an average absenteeism rate of 9 percent. Nationally, the figure was 7.5 percent.

That is too high, says the chairman of the Children, Citizens and Welfare Committee in Dragør, Henrik Kjærsvold-Niclasen (V), who wants parents to take more responsibility.

- Many parents forget that the kids miss out on teaching and on being part of a community, he says.

Because even though it can be tempting to take an early weekend with the children or to go on summer holiday outside the school holidays, it ultimately ends up being at the children's expense, says Henrik Kjærsvold-Niclasen (V).

- Parents need to consider when and how often they pull their children out of the classroom, because as parents we cannot simply check our children in and out of school as we please.

> School can only function well if parental responsibility is taken

'Very sensible'

At Dragør School, the message is well received by Jonas Resom, who has a son in first grade.

- I think it sounds sensible to have some guidelines that one can follow and thus take part in the community.

- And in general, I think one should try to adapt one's holiday to the school holidays, he says.

Jonas Resom adapts the family holiday to the school holidays so that his son Melvin does not get unnecessary absence. (Photo: © Isabella Søderstrøm)

In the schoolyard, Trine Hauberg is also dropping off her two children.

- I experience that many parents already take a lot of responsibility. So I have nothing against them now wanting to put more focus on it.

- But fundamentally, I think one should enter into dialogue with the parents of students who have high absenteeism to find out what the cause is.

New rule aims to reduce absenteeism

A new rule at Dragør School means that students with total absenteeism of more than 7 percent the previous year will as a rule not be allowed time off outside school holidays, unless there is a very special reason.

The school board at Dragør School agrees that parents generally need to step up more.

- School can only function well if parental responsibility is taken, says Nelle Seiersen, chair of the school board and parent of a fifth-grade student at the school.

- But the expectations for when more responsibility should be taken need to be clearer.

The parties behind the new budget for 2027 agree that parental responsibility should be included in the new school policy in Dragør Municipality. It is the Conservatives, Venstre, the Social Democrats and SF that stand behind the budget agreement.

Work on the upcoming school policy will begin at the end of the year.

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