Herlufsholm School has decided to sue the Danish Agency for Education and Quality (Styrelsen for Undervisning og Kvalitet – Stuk) under the Ministry of Children and Education to reclaim 27 million Danish kroner, which the school claims was unjustly taken from them. The amount corresponds to approximately half a year’s state subsidy for the school. This is stated in a lawsuit accessed by Berlingske.
The school’s management and their lawyer, Ole Spiermann from Bruun & Hjejle, have chosen not to comment further on the case. Spiermann emphasizes in the lawsuit that the case is not about the factual circumstances but about the legal assessment of these. Herlufsholm thus wants clarification on whether the agency has a legal basis to demand the repayment of the 27 million kroner.
The background of the dispute stems from a documentary aired on TV 2 in May 2022. In the documentary, former students reported incidents of violence, sexual harassment, and bullying at the boarding school. Based on the documentary, Stuk decided in May 2023 that Herlufsholm should repay the 27 million kroner since, according to the agency, the school did not meet the requirement of freedom and democracy. This requirement includes, among other things, preparing students to live in a society like Denmark, based on freedom and democracy, and strengthening students’ respect for basic freedoms and human rights, including gender equality.
However, Herlufsholm believes that the requirement of freedom and democracy cannot be used as a basis to withdraw state funding from the school since the requirement does not directly concern the students’ well-being. The school also claims in the lawsuit that repaying the substantial amount is financially burdensome.
Stuk has informed Berlingske that they have not yet received the lawsuit, and their supervision of Herlufsholm continues as planned.
The documentary has had significant personnel consequences for Herlufsholm. The former principal, Mikkel Kjellberg, and headmaster, Torben von Lowzow, both had to leave their positions. Gitte Nørgaard was subsequently hired in an attempt to improve the school’s culture, but she was replaced after a year and a half. Martin Arvedlund was acting principal for six months from December 2023, and it has recently been announced that former teacher Jimmy Burnett Nielsen will take over as the new principal from July 1.