CLEVELAND — When a kid doesn’t show up to class, it matters. That’s the message The Cleveland Browns Foundation and its community partners have been tackling for years as part of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, managed by Battelle.
On Thursday, the foundation hosted a roundtable to tackle issues surrounding chronic absenteeism and help students and families break down barriers and understand the importance of being in school all day, every day.
"We know that attendance is a community issue… that good schools contribute to strong economies and healthy communities,” said Janet Walton, network director of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network.
Over the years and most recently this month, News 5 has covered countless stories of Cleveland Browns players cheering on students at pep rallies, reading events, and even hosting stadium tours as part of initiatives to give students an extra incentive to keep up good attendance.
Lizzie Heidenreich, director of the Cleveland Browns Foundation, said the work is multifaceted.
“There's a lot of reasons why students can't get to school, and for some students, it's really just knowing how important school is,” Heidenreich said. “For other students, there are some really significant barriers that are keeping them from getting to school every day. So, on one hand, the Browns are working with messaging and really encouraging students in a positive way to show up. But we are also at the table and want our partners to be at the table to get to some of those deeper barriers, whether it be transportation, food insecurity, high school students having a job just trying to get to some of the reasons and provide solutions.”
The roundtable featured educators from Akron, Lorain and Euclid public school districts and leaders from organizations like Huntington Bank, University Hospitals, Cleveland Public Library and Ohio Business Machines.
Leaders pointed out extensive research and data showing that chronic absenteeism can hurt a student’s achievement, especially in math and reading.
“It’s more than just students showing up,” said Gina Wilson, network implementation manager with the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network. “They’re building relationships. They’re learning to work with one another. They are discovering their interests.”
In Ohio, chronic absenteeism means missing at least 10% of instructional time, which equals about 18 days of a school year.
Lorain Public Schools is one district that’s seen some progress, dropping from about 64% of children being chronically absent a few years ago to 59% last school year.
"The biggest thing that's helped for us is making that connection and making it personal for our students. Showing that school is the place where they are seen and heard and loved,” said Missy DeAngelis, executive director of data, testing and curriculum & instruction at Lorain City Schools.
New statewide data shows Ohio’s chronic absenteeism rate at 23.9%, down about one percentage point from last school year. The state has a goal of cutting chronic absenteeism in half by the end of the 2028-2029 school year.
I asked Heidenreich how exciting it is to see kids responding to the message of showing up to school and being active participants in their learning journey.
“It's been really exciting to see the growth of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network. And every time that the Browns are able to bring our mascot Chomps or our players into the community to recognize some students for all of their hard work is really rewarding,” Heidenreich said. “Yesterday, we were actually in the Euclid City School District celebrating intervention specialists who really go above and beyond in helping students who may need extra supports in the classroom get to school every day. So really fun to see the students come alive.”
The Stay in the Game! Attendance Network works with 195 school districts across the state. The Cleveland Browns Foundation supports 123 of those school districts and said 91 of them are participating at the highest level.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
