The council's plan for more inclusion was the straw that made Maja's family decide to sell the house.

For Sale sign posted in the ground outside the country house where a family of four has enjoyed peace and the view for the last ten years.

However, in January, the council of Odder Municipality made a decision that ended up being the famous drop in an already full glass of water, which made the family decide to move.

The municipality wants to have more children from special classes in the regular school, but their 10-year-old daughter has autism and cannot handle a regular school day with morning songs, class mixers across grades, and outings from the house. As a result, she is currently only a few hours in school a day.

When the municipality announced that fewer children would go to special classes, the family felt that their daughter was caught between two chairs, as she does not function in a regular class today, and the family expects it to be difficult to find another offer.

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More children to be moved from special classes to regular classes

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Odder Municipality calls the strategy 'Better Opportunities for All' and wants to have two-thirds more children out of special provisions and into regular classes than today.

This will be achieved by sending fewer children to special classes from the start, and later the municipality will look at whether the children who are already in special classes can function in a regular class, and what it will require for each child.

The decision is due to the fact that the municipality today uses 24% of the entire school budget on the 6% that goes to special classes. This has drained the economy of the regular classes, and when the students return to the general area, the money will also follow, so that new initiatives such as tutoring in some hours can be made.

- It was the drop that made us realize that we can no longer see ourselves in Odder Municipality anymore. We need to start fresh in another municipality. It may be difficult to find, but we hope, says Maja Ploug.

Odder Municipality calls the strategy 'Better Opportunities for All' and will send fewer children to special classes from the start, and later the municipality will look at whether the children who are already in special classes can function in a regular class, and what it will require for each child.

The decision is due to the fact that the municipality today uses 24% of their entire budget for the school on the 6% that goes to special classes.

Maja Ploug homeschools her daughter in mathematics and Danish. She is most in school in the creative subjects. (Photo: © Private, Private)

- My husband and I were very frustrated when we heard about the project, as we feel that we already have a child who does not function optimally in general provisions, and it causes her to have a lot of absences. We feel that she is caught between two chairs, and now it may become even more difficult to, for example, find a place in a special class for her, says Maja Ploug.

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Mayor: We are not busy

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In January, the decision was given a favorable vote in the council, where 17 out of 19 members voted for it. Nikolaj Enggård Fogh from The Conservatives voted against, while Marianne Hundebøll from SF abstained.

For also voted the social democratic mayor Lone Jakobi, and she emphasizes that there will still be special education in Odder Municipality in the future, even though fewer children will have access to the offer.

- There may not be a reason to be so concerned. To the point of my stomach, I can only say that it is a direction that the council has given good time to work with and implement. In the coming year, we have set aside a good amount of money, so we can also ensure that our employees are secure in the physical framework, says she.

Borgmaster candidate for SF Theis Rubinke Sørensen suggests at the Candidate Festival (https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p4/kandidatfesten/kandidatfesten-2025/odder-kommune-spidskandidatdebat-14992540063 ) on DR, that the council should slow down on the new school strategy, but Lone Jakobi does not think it is necessary.

- We are not busy. We can see in the first school year with the strategy, that a few fewer children in 0th grade will be visited for special education, but the fear that children will be revisited in the larger classes - that is unlikely to happen, says she.

- We can never just do something for a child, as it always happens in dialogue. Politically, we can ensure that the frameworks and resources are in place, says she.

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The only no-vote wants the frameworks in place

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Nikolaj Enggård Fogh voted as the only no to 'Better Opportunities for All', and he has taken note of the fact that parents are discussing the issue on Facebook, where several like Maja Ploug have said that they will try to leave Odder Municipality.

- It is sad, and it is annoying to hear. I think we should slow down the political ambitions about how many we want to include, says he.

He believes that the municipality should ensure that the frameworks are in place in the school before more children are included.

- It is going too fast, and I think the strategy should only concern the children who are in the general area today, and not the children who have received special provisions, says he.

Many municipalities around Odder are also working in these years to include more children, and Maja Ploug does not think it will be easy to find an offer in another municipality.

- It is nerve-wracking, but we hope it will give a renewed hope to find another place, says she.

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