Michael Scott, the assistant superintendent for the Lorain City School District, stood on the sideline of Huntington Bank Field but didn't know what was about to come. As far as Scott knew, he was being recognized for helping decrease the chronic absenteeism rate in Lorain City Schools as part of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network themed game.
During the Browns' game against the Titans on Dec. 7, the Cleveland Browns Foundation surprised Scott with tickets to the 2026 Super Bowl and accommodations from the Browns and round-trip airfare, courtesy of United Airlines, for him and a guest.
"I thought I was just going and being recognized for Stay in the Game! and lo and behold, the surprise was Super Bowl tickets, which was totally unexpected," Scott said. "That was some surprise. I did not see that happening in a million years."
Launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Harvard's Proving Ground, the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, now managed by Battelle, works to reduce chronic absenteeism by bringing together experts, partners and communities. Together, the Network partners with 238 districts and impacts more than 611,000 students throughout Ohio.
Lorain City Schools joined the Network in the 2023-24 school year with Scott being a key part of their continued efforts to encourage students to come to school each day through attendance-related incentives and taking a personalized approach with students.
He has been an educator for 21 years in various roles, primarily in the Lorain City School District. He was as an English teacher at the former Southview and Admiral King High School in 2003. In 2008, he became the assistant principal at Southview High School and in 2012 was hired as the principal at General Johnnie Wilson Middle School.
Scott joined Lorain City Schools as the director of professional development in 2016 before starting his role as the assistant superintendent in 2019. In this role, he is striving to improve school culture for students and staff to thrive by helping address barriers to attendance and celebrating the students who go the extra mile to show up to school daily.
The Lorain City School District has seen success from their attendance efforts. As of this fall, all schools within the district had a 10 percent decrease in chronic absenteeism compared to last year, according to Scott. He, however, said the efforts and improvements made this year are in part due to more than just the work one person undertook.
"It takes a village to raise our children," Scott said. "To have various partners in pursuit of getting kids to stay in the game by coming to school every day, that's part of the battle."
Scott's commitment to lowering the absenteeism rate in Lorain City Schools didn't just shape their attendance effort -- it also put him in the spotlight. That dedication is what led to an unexpected chain of events in the weeks before the Browns recognized him.
The lead-up to the surprise started at an educator luncheon the Browns held on Nov. 21 at Huntington Bank Field which included a panel that he was a part of. Lorain City Schools was asked to have a representative, and Scott stepped up, using the event as a chance to highlight what the district was doing.
Scott shared their efforts to increase school attendance using a Browns-themed oversized chain necklace and a Lorain High School Titans-themed version.
"I discussed our Titan chain attendance initiative that we do, which we call Victory Monday," Scott said. "We recognize the top elementary school in our district and the top secondary school in our district, with the highest attendance for the week prior, and that's our Victory Monday."
The idea came when Scott and his family attended the Browns' preseason game against the Rams on Aug. 23. In the Browns' team store, Scott's son saw an item that caught his eye – an oversized Browns chain necklace. Seeing his son's interest in the chain gave Scott the idea to use the chain to help promote kids to attend school.
Since Lorain City School District joined Stay in the Game! ahead of the 2023-24 school year, the Browns have worked closely with Scott and the district to reduce chronic absenteeism. Over the three school years, the Browns have supported back-to-school events, hosted student assemblies and partnered to recognize outstanding students and educators.
Scott became a teacher because he was committed to helping and giving back to his community, trying to make a difference in Northeast Ohio. The Super Bowl surprise from the Browns and United Airlines affirmed that the work he is doing is being noticed, as one of United Airlines' key areas of focus in the community is youth education – which aligns with the efforts of the Cleveland Browns Foundation and the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network.
"Once we get our kids into the spaces regularly, we have great teachers, great educators, that can build them up academically, but we have to get them through our doors," Scott said. "I'm just a piece of the puzzle. I'm glad that people saw some power in the work that we're trying to do."
