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FAIRFIELD — Fairfield High School sophomore Maddy Goodman, 15, is white, but the majority of her friends are black.

Maddy says she sees disparities in treatment and stereotypes, which she said some students live up to and others unfairly face.

Last year, Maddy said she asked a teacher about how her black male friend was doing in class.

"She said, 'You know how it is. That's the trouble-making class,' and when she said that, she named all the African-American guys as why that was the trouble-making class. I was sure they weren't the only ones causing trouble in the class."

Black students in Fairfield received 44 disciplinary actions per 100 students compared to their white peers who received about 16 disciplinary actions, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

Breaking down stereotypes and ensuring all children are treated equally is a goal of the district, said Principal Paul Waller.

These concerns, he said, are exactly why the district is training teachers, parents and students to better understand diversity. With a $10,000 grant and partnership with the City of Fairfield and the National Conference for Community and Justice, Waller said different groups of students will receive diversity training in order to become school ambassadors.

Black parents have been invited to several meetings to have conversations about how they can become more involved with school, and teachers have been receiving training to understand how to teach in diverse environments.

"It can help us all grow," he said. "We're all learners — the students, the adults and the teachers, and we all have to grow together."

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or lhilty@coxohio.com.

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