Week 3 high school football action for the 2024 season provided some great games. Here are scores from around Michigan on Friday, Sep. 13, 2024.

Search the database below to see your favorite team’s results. The scores will be updated throughout the night, so check back if you don’t see your team at first.

The number of Michigan K-12 students who were chronically absent from school has improved, state education officials announced on Friday.

Data released by the Michigan Department of Education shows the state’s chronic absenteeism rate declined by 1.3 percentage points to 29.5% for the 2023-24 school year compared to the year prior rate of 30.8%. Chronic absenteeism is defined as when a student misses 10% or more of school days or 18 days or more in Michigan.

The statistic means that nearly 30% of Michigan’s K-12 students — or 413,081 — are chronically absent, a level that remains far above absenteeism rates experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic when about 19.7% of Michigan students were chronically absent for the 2018-19 school year.

In the 2022-23 school year, Michigan had the biggest improvement in the nation in its chronic student absenteeism rate but ranked seventh highest among states, according to a new analysis by The Associated Press and The Detroit News.

Meanwhile, the statewide attendance rate among Michigan students increased by 3/10ths of a percentage point from the year before, from 90.5% to 90.8%. State education officials said the 2023-24 school year was the second consecutive year that both the attendance and chronic absenteeism rates improved in Michigan.

The latest figures on school attendance follow a Detroit News series on chronic absenteeism in Michigan that found that students from kindergarten through high school have been avoiding school at record rates since school buildings reopened after the pandemic more than three years ago.

Students are missing school for a variety of reasons that involve their home life, the impact of poverty or physical and mental health ailments. Some students say aren’t in school because they have to watch younger siblings or care for parents with medical problems. Others need to continue working at jobs they started during the pandemic.

Some kids are overcome by anxiety and can’t leave the house, let alone spend a full day in school. Some have become homeless for part of the year or changed schools several times. In many cases, kids said they simply don’t want to go to school and parents let them stay home.

Education experts said chronic absenteeism is one of the biggest problems facing American schools right now because it undermines widespread academic recovery efforts underway to catch students up from the learning losses during the last three school years when many spent months, even years, away from classrooms, schedules, adults and peers.

State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice students need to attend school regularly to maximize their school experiences.

“Despite our progress, far too many students are chronically absent. We need to work together to redouble our efforts and remove barriers to school attendance,” Rice said in a statement.

MDE officials said local school districts have focused on improving attendance rates through multiple methods including calls to parents, conferences with families, mental health interventions and door-to-door outreach to visit students’ homes to help reacclimate children to coming to school more frequently.

jchambers@detroitnews.com

On Wednesday, October 9, Michigan State University Extension will host the second annual Michigan 4-H Day at the Capitol. This event, held for the first time in 2023, showcases the positive impact of the Michigan 4-H program and brings visibility to its efforts throughout the state.

“We’re excited to bring Michigan 4-H Day at the Capitol back in 2024,” said Quentin Tyler, director of MSU Extension. “We were thrilled by the attendance at our event last year and it proved a great way to celebrate our 4-H program while elevating awareness about it.”

Michigan 4-H is the flagship youth development program of MSU Extension and reached nearly 135,000 young people ages 5 to 19 last year. Through various activities, clubs, groups, programs and events, 4-H’ers are offered hands-on learning experiences where they can explore their passions and interests while growing confidence, life skills and a sense of responsibility.

“Our Michigan 4-H program is changing the lives of youth across the state, and has been for more than 115 years,” continued Tyler. “We hope to highlight the impacts of this program, raise awareness of its availability, and ultimately reach even more youth in the future.”

Legislators, stakeholders and members of the public are invited to join MSU Extension for Michigan 4-H Day at the Capitol, which will be held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Heritage Hall atrium. At the event, informational booths will be hosted by Michigan 4-H youth and staff, who will share their personal experiences of impact through Michigan 4-H. A brief program will be held at noon. Scheduled speakers include Tyler; State Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Township), who is serving as the legislative host for the event; MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz; Emma Young, policy analyst for Governor Whitmer and a Michigan 4-H alumna; and two Michigan 4-H youth, Everett Howell and Brianna Sierra.

Heritage Hall is located at 323 W. Ottawa Street in Lansing. Those interested in attending are asked to register at https://events.anr.msu.edu/Michigan4HCapitol2024/.

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