Author: Aliah Keller | Spectrum News

LICKING COUNTY, Ohio — State report cards show just how big the attendance problem has become, with more than half of students in some districts missing too much school. Cleveland’s chronic absenteeism rate hit 55%, Columbus 52%, and Cincinnati 46%.

But in Lakewood Local Schools, where that rate is closer to 23%, staff may have found one simple and unexpected way to help keep kids in class.

Inside Lakewood High School, the shelves of a small cabinet are stocked not with books, but with basics: deodorant, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and even laundry tabs.

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What You Need To Know

• More than half of the students in major Ohio districts. including Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, are chronically absent, but Lakewood Local’s rate is far lower at 23 %
• Lakewood High School credits part of that improvement to its free “Hygiene Hub,” a cabinet stocked with donated basics like deodorant, shampoo, and laundry tabs
• The program, supported by United Way of Licking County, helps remove barriers that keep students home, giving them the confidence and resources to show up for class

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“They call it a Hygiene Hub,” said teacher Mark Vukovic, who helps oversee the space. “Okay, so you can see in here we definitely have a lot of deodorant, soap, shampoo, period products and even laundry tabs.”

Every item inside is free, donated by community members, local drives and grants. And for some students, Vukovic says, it’s what makes showing up possible.

“There were some severe chronic absenteeism that we were having in our school,” Vukovic said. “I thought that maybe this would be one of the reasons, because I know a lot of kids will stay home because they don’t have the right clothes.”

School counselor Janessa Maybury says those barriers are more common than many people realize, and they can weigh heavily on attendance.

“I definitely think that having proper items in order to come to school and not smell, not bleed through their pants, things like that definitely will keep kids from coming to school,” she said. “I would say at least 30% of our kids don’t have access to the things that they need in order to be clean and have their teeth brushed and have deodorant and period products and things like that.”

That’s where the United Way of Licking County comes in. They’ve helped supply and expand Hygiene Hubs in 11 schools across the district.

“Before this program existed, educators were giving students these resources out of pocket,” said Emma Chapman with United Way. “And so this is just another way that not only are we supporting students and by extension their families but also supporting educators who really need that support right now.”

Chapman says the demand has only grown as families continue to feel the strain of rising costs.

“We can all see right now how these needs are only rising,” she said. “Gas prices fluctuating as they are, the price of groceries going up astronomically. The cost of things are just in general rising.”

The Hygiene Hub offers more than supplies. It’s also about confidence, dignity and belonging.

“We definitely see better attendance, more confidence and willingness to, you know, interact with their peers,” Vukovic said. “And I think that’s a big, big deal.”

For Lakewood, it’s a simple idea but one that’s helping turn attendance numbers around, one student at a time.