Battelle-backed Stay in the Game! Attendance Network Begins Partnership with Pittsburgh Steelers in First Out of State Expansion

Stay in the Game! partners with a second NFL team to tackle chronic absenteeism in the Greater Pittsburgh region for the 2025-26 school year.

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stay in the Game! Attendance Network (SITG!) will begin working with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) starting this fall. This is the first expansion outside of Ohio and the second NFL team to join founding partner, the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers will begin working within PPS to pilot the program with plans for a full-scale regional presence beginning fall of 2026.

“Chronic absenteeism is an issue across the country. Since 2015, the Cleveland Browns Foundation has been committed to decreasing chronic absenteeism in Northeast Ohio, and more recently have expanded our efforts statewide through collaboration with the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati through Stay in the Game!” said Renee Harvey, VP of Community Impact and Foundation at the Cleveland Browns. “We are encouraged by the progress we’ve collectively made alongside our partner districts and are thrilled to now come together with the Steelers and Pittsburgh Public Schools in support of students by expanding the program’s reach into Pennsylvania.”

According to data from a December 2024 A+ Schools Pittsburgh study, PPS reported that 30% of their students grades K-12 were chronically absent and this number rose to 45% when analyzing attendance data for grades 9-12. A student is defined as chronically absent when they miss 10% of school or more a year, just two days per month.

SITG! provides a Campaign Playbook, peer-to-peer learning opportunities and easy to use tools to for participating districts to build their capacity to tackle attendance challenges. Pittsburgh will share those opportunities as part of the expanded Network. While SITG! staff work with districts in Ohio to analyze data, staff from A+ Schools Pittsburgh will collaborate with districts in the Pittsburgh region. A+ Schools works with community and systems partners to mobilize resources, and coordinate support for Pittsburgh’s students and schools.

“As an organization that regularly works with coaches, teachers, and students, we know absenteeism is an issue that schools grapple with,” said Blayre Holmes Davis, Senior Director of Community Relations, Pittsburgh Steelers. “It’s important for us to support students along their academic journey and demonstrate what success truly looks like—both on and off the field. We want students to be excited to go to school!”

“Attendance is a team sport. It takes all our support: families, educators, businesses, organizations, even rival NFL teams,” said Susan Bodary, Executive Director of Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, “When students stay in school: test scores go up and they graduate both on time and ready for the next step of their career.”

SITG! represents more than 220 Ohio districts for the 2025-26 school year. In the 2023-2024 school year, districts in the Network showed an annual reduction in chronic absenteeism double that of the state overall. With this expansion to Pittsburgh, SITG! is well positioned to grow across Pennsylvania. Those interested in learning more about the Network and supporting attendance can visit www.stayinthegame.org and take the Attendance Pledge.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At most major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health, and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. Battelle Education manages the Stay in the Game! Network. For more information visit https://www.battelle.org/

About Stay in the Game! Attendance Network

Launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Harvard’s Proving Ground, and managed by Battelle, the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network works together to campaign, connect, and convene with experts and supporters to increase attendance in Ohio. Stay in The Game! Attendance Network supports 200 districts and over 550,000 students during the 2025-2026 school year through localized, data-informed attendance campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the importance of school attendance as a foundation for student success and identifying barriers to attendance. For more information about Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, visit www.stayinthegame.org