If the Chiefs win the Super Bowl again, students belong in class - not at the parade | Opinion

With Kansas City buzzing at the prospect of the Chiefs making history by winning three consecutive Super Bowls, I’m going to challenge the notion of how we celebrate football as a parent, community member and marketing communications consultant for the education sector. To realize the promise of sports bringing people together, schools must stay in session for the Super Bowl parade.

I watched the confetti fall from the sky for the last two years in downtown Kansas City. The sea of red and gold gives an illusion of unison, but our students are often left out — and for some community members, the festivities are a disruption rather than a celebration. While it is a common practice nationwide for schools in victorious cities to close for Super Bowl parades, there’s a cascade of challenges that happen when school is canceled at the last minute.

First, let’s talk about how missing one day of instruction affects our kids. Educators are making incredible progress with the 14,000 students who attend Kansas City Public Schools, but there is still ground to cover. The latest test scores as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education show 63.6% of 11th graders scored below basic in English language arts and 45.4% scored below basic in math.

There are academic gaps to close, but more than that, there are mouths to feed. Courtesy of the Community Eligibility Provision, the Kansas City school district offers free meals to all students because they serve a large enough student population whose families would qualify for free and reduced lunch plans. For the 2023-2024 school year, 56.78% of students qualified, resulting in the district continuing to be eligible for the CEP. Many children who receive free and reduced-price meals at school experience food insecurity at home. This indicates a probability that by canceling school unexpectedly, some students wouldn’t have access to lunch that day.

Furthermore, many workplaces don’t close for the parade. There are more than 77,000 households in Kansas City with kids under the age of 17 whose parents are both employed. This leaves working parents scrambling to find child care or take time off, and some cannot financially afford an unplanned day away.

When we keep kids in school during the parade, we aren’t just circumventing the logistical, financial and academic concerns of their parents. We are expanding access to students to partake in the revelry, resulting in a greater sense of belonging rather than feeling isolated at home. If anticipated and planned well, schools can bring the celebratory culture inside the building with fun activities. For example, host a schoolwide “superfan showdown,” where students and staff dress up in their best Super Bowl-themed outfits, with awards or even prizes being given out during the school day.

It’s also an educational experience in disguise. Teachers could turn the event into meaningful and engaging lessons across multiple subjects. For example, Patrick Mahomes’ passing yards and touchdowns could be used to analyze this year’s Super Bowl compared to prior games. Or have students step into the shoes of a sports journalist and write their own play-by-play. Perhaps even let them pretend to be Andy Reid and draft his motivational speech from halftime. Give bonus points if they dress up as his lookalike and deliver it in front of the class to develop presentation and public speaking skills. There are so many ways to create engaging lessons around the Super Bowl that failing to have school in session seems like a wasted opportunity to engage students in learning.

A championship victory — especially a three-peat one — should be a unifying experience for the entire community, both in and out of the classroom. Keeping schools in session provides a more inclusive and educational way for all students and their families to celebrate.

This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 5:07 AM.