Analysis of educational policy in canton Fribourg from the end of the XIXth century to modern days: when attempts of integration reveal those that have always been excluded

Abstract

This paper is based on a content analysis of about a hundred legislative and regulatory texts produced between 1900 and 2015 by educational institutions in canton Fribourg. The article highlights different major events that reveal persistent forms of exclusion of pupils considered having behavioural disorders or disabilities over the years. In particular, it shows the persistent forms of exclusion of pupils whose behaviour is disrupting, despite the development of integration principles. Even though Swiss school policies are clearly promoting an integrative discourse, this paper illustrates and questions the exclusion of certain pupils, an exclusion that was assumed in the past and that is currently more hidden.