Swedish education minister calls Lundsberg boarding school abuse allegations unacceptable

Sweden’s minister for upper secondary schools, Lotta Edholm, has condemned the abuse and harassment exposed in an SVT investigative documentary about Lundsberg boarding school, stating the allegations are “not okay” regardless of the institution involved.

Speaking in parliament on Friday, Edholm emphasized that boarding schools bear “a particularly heavy responsibility” due to their round-the-clock care of students. Her comments came during an interpellation debate initiated by Social Democrat MP Gustaf Lantz, who questioned the government’s response to the documentary’s findings.

The SVT investigation, based on testimony from current and former students and staff, detailed incidents of violence, humiliation, and an entrenched hierarchy at the elite school, which enrolls students from year 9 through upper secondary education. Critics have argued the report was one-sided, while others—including police reviewing the footage—have stated the material could form the basis for prosecution.

Edholm noted that recent legal reforms, including mandatory police reporting of crimes by school heads, would “have a major impact in cases like this.” She added that witness accounts from Lundsberg and other schools had already prompted stricter legislation, though she declined to comment on individual cases.

The minister also called for expanded powers for the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, including undercover investigations and state intervention in private schools found to be failing their duties. “The legislation has generally been too lenient,” she said, stressing that any potential sanctions—such as fines or revocation of operating licenses—would ultimately be determined by the inspectorate and courts.