Report the bullying to the school and demand action

The school has a statutory duty to act when a child is not safe — aktivitetsplikten (the school's statutory duty to act). Here is what a written notification should contain, who it should be sent to, and which deadlines apply.

Notifying the school in writing can feel like 'making a case' out of something you would rather have solved with a conversation. But a written notification is not a declaration of war — it is the act that triggers the school's statutory duties, and it protects your child if the case drags on.

When the family discovers that the child is being bullied, it is important to send a written approach to the school, preferably by email, demanding measures to stop the bullying. Keep the email in a polite tone, with a clear message and a focus on the solution. The message should contain a description of what has happened. Document the bullying if that is possible, and do ask for a meeting with the school to go through the measures.

The school has legal responsibility for the pupil’s school environment, and aktivitetsplikten is laid down in the Education Act (opplæringsloven) § 12-4. The previous legislation also had a separate penal provision, under which the head teacher risked imprisonment for up to 3 months if the duty was breached. The provision was rarely used in practice, but it was carried over when the law was revised in 2017 — despite the fact that the school staff’s trade unions wanted to weaken it substantially. Whether it has also been carried over into the new Education Act has not been verified as of July 2026 — the point is with FOMIS for legal clarification.

Once the school has been notified of the bullying, measures must be put in place within one week. If measures have not been put in place within one week, you have a right of complaint to Statsforvalteren (the County Governor).

Do make the school aware that you know about the child’s right to a safe and good school environment (the Education Act § 12-2) and that you are aware that the case can be reported to Statsforvalteren one week after the school has been notified (the Education Act § 12-6).

Update (2026): Udir’s circular specifies that the deadline is counted from when the case was raised with the head teacher — so make sure the written notification goes to the head teacher, not only to the class teacher. One week corresponds to five working days. In the event of serious incidents of violence or sexual violations, the case can be reported to Statsforvalteren straight away, without waiting. (Source: Udir’s circular on the school environment, point 7.)

If the school considers the case to be complex and that they therefore need more time to put suitable measures in place, you can ask for temporary measures, so that the child is safe while they continue working on the case.

What if the school does not know which measures to put in place?

Some schools give the impression that they do not know how the case should be solved, and may also ask the family to suggest measures to be put in place. If the family has wishes, they can put forward proposals, but the school is to be the professional party and should have the expertise to stop bullying. If they lack that expertise, they can seek guidance from, among others, Statsforvalteren and Utdanningsdirektoratet (the Directorate for Education and Training).

Which measures can you demand?

The family can put forward proposals for measures, but cannot demand that their proposals be followed.

What can you demand in relation to other children?

Some parents care deeply about all the children in the pupil group, including the children who commit the violations. They may have suggestions for help and measures in relation to other children and families.

Some parents are provoked by what they experience as a lack of response towards children who commit violations, and demand concrete measures from the school.

You can put forward proposals and wishes to the school, but there is no right to have the school follow those wishes. Nor can you demand information about other children and families, because the school has a duty of confidentiality. What you can demand with the law behind you is a safe and good school environment for your own child.

If you are seriously worried about another child’s welfare, you can consider whether you should send a report of concern (bekymringsmelding). Under certain conditions there is a duty to report; look into this more closely if it is relevant.

Keep the focus on your own child

Our general advice is to keep the focus on your own child, in order to help the child out of the bullying situation as quickly as possible.

Read: Meeting with the school

From the original FOMIS parents' guide (2018). The content is reviewed and updated.