▸ Every new school year, it is tradition in Swedish schools to welcome new students – the firsts – with zeroing. In many cases, this means an afternoon or evening filled with games, competitions and parties. The goal is for the new students to get to know each other – and bond with the older students who perform the zeroing. But at Hersby gymnasium on Lidingö outside Stockholm, the zeroing process has been going on for several months. – The older students get to decide everything. And if you know a student in the third grade, you absolutely must not greet them in the corridor without receiving penalties, says a parent whose child attends high school. – It is absolutely forbidden for girls to have their hair in a bun, wear a skirt or shorts. As a guy, you can’t wear a t-shirt for two months. Due to fear of the zeroing, several students in the school have chosen to stay at home, the parent says. Several parents are now raging against the school – and believe that the school management is not doing enough to counteract the zeroing. Aftonbladet has applied for Hersby high school. Patrik Nimmerstam, who is the principal at the school, has sent out a letter to students and guardians after the start of the semester – about the zeroing. In an email to Aftonbladet, he states that the school works actively to prevent abusive zeroing from taking place.
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The reset alarm at Lidingöskolan: "Lundberg styles"
