Leader: Behind the scandal in Sigtuna hides a stale system

The scandal is growing around the Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket (SSHL). Now a total of five students are suspected of various crimes. And it concerns, among other things, gross sexual harassment, gross illegal coercion and gross assault against several young people.

In parallel, there are testimonies from parents and former students from different years. What they have in common is that they describe a pennalistic system, with a clear hierarchy, where the elders control and rule over the younger ones.

Forced showering and half-naked photography, remembers an ex-student. Everything from "you have to brush my shoes" to abuse, reads the statement from another. "We started as victims and by the end of our school days we were perpetrators instead," explains a third.

In addition, the environment must be characterized by a culture of silence, with the ostracism of those who "squeal" or ignore the rules. Adults look away. And - not least - these are "deeply rooted traditions", not isolated events, writes a parent to the School Inspectorate.

It is far from the first time something like this has been reported at Sigtunaskolan. In 2013, several young men were convicted of assaulting a 17-year-old student. And in the police investigation, information emerged about widespread penmanship.

The alternative, if the schools lack the will to change, is that they are forced to close - for good.

Even at Lundsberg's boarding school, a deep-rooted culture of peer education has been noted as recently as 2025 by the Värmland district court. How strong it was was noticed not least during the trial against several Lundsberg students, which ended with four being convicted of assault and serious breach of domestic peace against minors by the district court in December - and in September the court of appeal largely upheld the district court's verdict.

Despite the seriousness, parents rolled their eyes in the courtroom as the children testified about the crimes they had been subjected to. One mother said that a stroke here or there is not a big deal: "Worse things have happened". And one father said it should have been dealt with internally - not reported to the police.

It is exactly that kind of attitude that allows a culture to live on. Therefore, the pennalism and abuse that is repeatedly reported from Swedish boarding schools will not disappear until everyone - from the board and management to other staff and parents - decides.

This in turn requires comprehensive measures, where everyone is trained in preventive work, the smallest incident has consequences and the excuse that even more terrible things have happened in the past is dismissed.

The justification is hardly an argument for looking between the fingers. Rather, it constitutes the very basis of the problem. And the alternative, if the schools lack the will to change, is that they are forced to close – for good.