CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impact on student attendance, with chronic absenteeism rates soaring across the United States.
In Ohio, one in four students is chronically absent, while in Kentucky, the figure rises to one in three. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of school days, or about 18 days in a school year, for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Ohio’s “Stay in the Game! Attendance Network” is working to combat the issue. It was launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and Harvard’s Proving Ground. This year, the initiative expanded to Cincinnati, partnering with FC Cincinnati to encourage students to attend school.
“I’ve been in the education and education policy space for 25 years; to me, this is one of the biggest crises and issues that we have had,” said Susan Bodary, director of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network…