Distansundervisning i grundskolan och barnets bästa

Abstract

Remote Learning in Primary School and the Best Interests of the Child. On a Principal’s Considerations Before Deciding to Provide a Student with Remote Learning. Primary school education traditionally requires all pupils to attend and be physically present in school, unless they have a valid cause for absence. In Sweden, compulsory education is structured around an attendance requirement, with few exceptions for fulfilling these obligations outside the physical premises of the school. However, since 2020, new regulations have permitted distance learning under specific conditions. One key condition is that such education must be in the best interest of the child. This article investigates the legal regulation of distance education as a supportive measure in primary schools. By critically examining how the principle of the best interest of the child has been employed as a legal argument concerning physical presence in school, this article concludes that the legal norms have inherent contradictions and therefor demands that the principal applies the rules with a critical mindset.