In Sweden the anti-discrimination initiatives and the efforts against degrading treatment are promoted by two laws (SFS, 2008:567; SFS 2010:800). Our aim is to explore and understand the self-regulatory efforts to prevent discrimination and degrading treatment in school. We examine Swedish school equity plans asking what the causes of discrimination and degrading treatment within the schools are and what solutions emerge and which subject positions are constructed and made possible? Documents from all compulsory schools in six municipalities are collected.

In a discourse analysis we focus on how the phenomenon is expressed. We constructed a definition of a problem and or each problem we search for possible subject positions. At a first stage, various recurring ideas were found in the texts. These were gathered with respect to their expressions of degrading treatment and discrimination in their own educational setting. To uncover the ways of understanding the reasons for the occurring school problems, we searched for solutions that are related to the school problems presented. As a second step, we addressed the identified discourses to find out what subject positions are made possible.

The analysis has rendered three discourses. The perfect school discourse – rejects the occurrence of degrading treatment and discrimination. Everybody feels safe and there are no needs for solutions. In this perfect school the only subject position is the perfect student. In The designated discourse, non-complying students cause problems and the solution is to educate these students. In this discourse there are two subject positions, the non-complier and the functioning student. In The educational discourse, problems are dominant norms that provide inequalities and the solutions are questioning and criticizing norms, taking care of each other’s and self-reflection. In this discourse there is one subject position, the active fellow.