Student well-being is related to physical, mental, and social health.

Within the walls of each school, a healthy diet should be available in accordance with official nutritional goals, thus promoting the health of the school’s students. The headmaster of a secondary school shall consult with a health center in the vicinity of the school regarding health protection and hygiene practices, and the procedure shall be described in the school curriculum.

Furthermore, upper secondary schools should encourage students to live a healthy lifestyle and exercise. Emphasis must be placed on alcohol and drug prevention, sexual health and mental health. It is equally important that the school supports students’ social health by encouraging active participation in social life.

Those who have completed compulsory school, have received equivalent basic education or have reached the age of 16 have the right to begin upper secondary school. These individuals also have the right to study until the age of 18, subject to the provisions of Article 33 of the Upper Secondary School Act on school rules and procedures.

Violation of school rules may result in the punishment of students being expelled from school or a specific subject for a period of time. Such a decision by the school principal shall be made in accordance with the rules of the Administrative Procedure Act. It shall be ensured that the custodial parents/guardians of minor students, as well as the students themselves, are given the right to object before a decision is made regarding the rights or obligations of the students.

When enrolling, the upper secondary school has special responsibilities regarding students with disabilities, students who come directly from primary school, students who transfer between semesters or school years, and others who have not reached the age of majority (18 years) at the time of enrollment.

The school agreement between an upper secondary school and the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture shall specifically stipulate the obligations of the upper secondary school in question regarding the enrolment of students and the criteria and requirements that the school bases on when enrolling students in the school or in its individual study programmes. The Ministry shall determine the arrangements for enrolment and issue instructions on the completion of applications. In other respects, reference shall be made to the applicable regulations on the enrolment of students.

To promote consistency in assessment at the end of compulsory school, the Ministry publishes rules on criteria at the end of compulsory school in the general section of the National Curriculum Guide for Compulsory Schools.

Students in public upper secondary schools are offered, in addition to free tuition, all services that the school organizes for students. The fees charged by public upper secondary schools are explained in a separate regulation and are discussed below.

An example of a statutory service is the right of students to benefit from academic and career counseling and access to a library that is an information center for students and teachers. It shall be equipped with books and new materials as well as other library resources related to the school’s teaching subjects. In connection with the operation of the school library, there shall be a reading room with access to informational materials.

Students who have difficulty learning due to specific learning difficulties, emotional or social difficulties, students with learning disabilities, chronically ill students, students with health-related special needs and students with disabilities are entitled to special support in their studies in accordance with their assessed special needs. Students with disabilities shall study alongside other students as much as possible.

It is important to provide students with special needs with the education and support they need and are able to provide, in accordance with the current regulation on students with special needs. This can be done either by offering studies in study programs for people with disabilities or by providing them with special support in other upper secondary school study programs.

Secondary schools may request information from primary schools about individual students, and primary schools are required to provide this information with the informed consent of the student’s legal guardian or custodial parent/guardian, if the student is under 18. Schools may also negotiate with local authorities or other parties for specialist services for individual students to ensure the best possible continuity in their education (see Appendix 1).

A transition plan must be followed for students with disabilities when they leave primary school, in accordance with the regulation on students with special needs in primary school (see Appendix 1).

Students in public upper secondary schools are offered free tuition and other services that the school organizes for students. However, the following fees are permitted under the provisions of a special regulation on fee-charging authorizations for public upper secondary schools.

The school principal determines the amount of the enrollment fee, while the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports sets the maximum amount in a regulation. If students are enrolled outside the advertised enrollment period, the fee may be increased by 25% for that semester.

Secondary schools are authorized to charge students who receive practical instruction a material fee for materials that the school provides to students and that they need to use in their studies. The material fee shall be based on the actual cost of materials. The Ministry shall advertise the maximum material fee from time to time. Secondary schools may offer studies outside regular daily working hours and in distance learning. In such cases, they are authorized to charge students a fee for part of the salary costs for the teaching. The Ministry shall issue further rules on charging fees from time to time. If studies are extended into the summer, secondary schools are authorized to charge students a fee to cover specific costs incurred for the teaching.

Schools are also permitted to charge students a fee for optional activities, such as theater, field or museum trips in connection with their studies.

Upper secondary schools are permitted to charge fees for other services offered that are not considered part of or derived from the statutory role of the school. The fee covers factors such as the issuance of certificates (other than diplomas), access to wireless networks and computer programs, issuance of an email address, data space, locker rental, printing, copying and parking. The school principal advertises a fee schedule after consultation with the school board. The fee schedule shall be based on costs at most and shall be published on the school website before the start of the enrollment period.

Assessment of student learning that has been carried out within the Icelandic school system recently and does not require extensive assessment work shall be free of charge to students. Secondary schools are permitted to charge a modest fee for extensive work on practical skills assessment and assessment of student learning. The fee schedule for such assessment shall be based on cost at most and published in the school curriculum.

School regulations shall be published in the school curriculum and be accessible to all. They shall contain provisions on the following aspects:

• school attendance,
• behavior and socialization,
• assessment, learning progress and examination rules,
• penalties for violations of school rules,
• rules on handling disputes and on the application of sanctions.

When a school principal makes a decision regarding a student’s right or obligation, such as expulsion from school for more than one school day or preventing students from attending classes in a specific subject or subject for a period of time, the rules of the Administrative Procedure Act shall be followed. The decision of the school principal may be appealed to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. The provisions of Chapter VII of the Administrative Procedure Act shall apply to appeals.

Data in the custody of schools that contain personal information about students shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and the Processing of Personal Information, the Act on the National Archives of Iceland and the provisions of the Information Act, as applicable. Staff in upper secondary schools are bound by confidentiality and are prohibited from providing personal information about students of legal age without their consent or the consent of their custodial parents/guardians in the case of students under the age of 18. All upper secondary schools shall retain information about students’ studies and provide them with access to that information. Upper secondary schools shall provide custodial parents and guardians of children under the age of 18 with access to their information system, which, among other things, publishes their children’s grades and school attendance. The right of a non-custodial parent to access information about their child up to the age of 18 is governed by the provisions of the Children’s Act No. 76/2003. Once students have reached the age of majority, they may only be provided with information about matters that concern them personally, or to those to whom they give written authorization.

Secondary schools are, however, permitted to provide information about individual students to other schools due to their transfer between schools or because they are studying at more than one school or educational institution. Such information may also be provided to educational authorities for clearly defined purposes. However, in the case of sensitive personal information, it shall not be provided without the informed consent of the custodial parents or legal guardians of the students.

Personal information must be provided securely so that the utmost confidentiality is maintained.

Smoking and other tobacco use is strictly prohibited in the premises and on the grounds of the secondary school. Also, all handling and consumption of alcohol and other intoxicants is strictly prohibited on school premises and at school gatherings. The custodial parents/guardians of minor students should be contacted if anything arises in this regard.