Federal Photos

In Denmark, Students Go Back to School, 6 Feet Apart

By Emma Patti Harris — April 20, 2020 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Last week, Denmark became the first European country to allow daycare and primary schools to reopen since the start of the coronavirus lockdown. The classroom setups included desks spaced six feet apart. (In Denmark, which uses the metric system, it’s actually 1.829 meters.) One teacher at the Korshoejskolen school in Randers, Denmark, held a music lesson outdoors to maintain social distancing.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, right, speaks to students during the April 15 reopening of Lykkebo School in Copenhagen.
Rebekka Hjorth conducts an outdoor music lesson at the Korshoejskolen in Randers, Denmark, April 15, 2020.
Some classrooms were moved into gymnasiums in order to maintain appropriate social distancing at the Stengaard School in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
Claus Moeller, the principal of Stengaard School, prepares for the reopening of his school after the coronavirus lockdown, in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
A sticker reading “Smiling is contagious” is seen at the playground at Stengaard School in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, second left, welcomes students back to school at the reopening of Lykkebo School in Copenhagen.
Classrooms at the Stengaard School are prepared for reopening after the coronavirus lockdown.
Claus Moeller, the principal of Stengaard School, inspects how a classroom has been set up in the gymnasium to maintain social distancing one day before his school reopened.

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by Pearson
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Recalibrating PLCs for Student Growth in the New Year
Get advice from K-12 leaders on resetting your PLCs for spring by utilizing winter assessment data and aligning PLC work with MTSS cycles.
Content provided by Otus
School Climate & Safety Webinar Strategies for Improving School Climate and Safety
Discover strategies that K-12 districts have utilized inside and outside the classroom to establish a positive school climate.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Trump Admin. Drops Legal Appeal Over Anti-DEI Funding Threat to Schools and Colleges
It leaves in place a federal judge’s decision finding that the anti-DEI effort violated the First Amendment and federal procedural rules.
1 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Ed. Dept. Opens Fewer Sexual Violence Investigations as Trump Dismantles It
Sexual assault investigations fell after office for civil rights layoffs last year.
6 min read
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington. The federal agency is opening fewer sexual violence investigations into schools and colleges following layoffs at its office for civil rights last year.
Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
Federal Trump Signs a Law Returning Whole Milk to School Lunches
The law overturns Obama-era limits on higher-fat milk options.
3 min read
President Donald Trump holds a bill that returns whole milk to school cafeterias across the country, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump holds a bill that returns whole milk to school cafeterias across the country. He signed the measure in the Oval Office of the White House, on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal A Major Democratic Group Thinks This Education Policy Is a Winning Issue
An agenda from center-left Democrats could foreshadow how they discuss education on the campaign trail.
4 min read
Students in Chad Wright’s construction program work on measurements at the Regional Occupational Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Students in Chad Wright’s construction program work on measurements at the Regional Occupational Center on Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif. A newly released policy agenda from a coalition of center-left Democrats focuses heavily on career training.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week