Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
WEKU
WEKU
Jillian Forstadt

Battling student absenteeism with grandmas, vans and a lot of love

United States
Kathryn Sellers makes calls to families on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Sellers is part of a program that provides students at Pittsburgh Arlington school with free van rides to and from school each day, as well as caring nanas who check in with families daily. (Jillian Forstadt/WESA)

Each weekday morning, just after 7 a.m., Kathryn Sellers runs through a list of five phone numbers. They belong to parents at Pittsburgh Arlington, a nearby pre-K-8 public school.

Sellers, who has been awake since 5:30 a.m., brings a cheerful start to each family's day, even over voicemail. She wishes each one a great day, adding, "I love you" before hanging up.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Medical Cannabis Showed Little to No Sleep Benefit Across Nine Insomnia Trials, but the Evidence Remains Weak
A Cochrane review of nine trials found that medical cannabis did little to improve insomnia, but the evidence is of low certainty. What sleepers should know.
Medical Daily
Medical Daily
A TikToker found mini pumpkin pies at Trader Joe’s after buying one at Starbucks that morning, and asks ‘Why is it the same pie?’
One TikTok shopper spotted a near twin of her Starbucks pie
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
50 Cent Tells Kimmel Diddy Watched His Netflix Doc on iPad in Prison, Jokes 'This Is Not Jail, This Is a Club'
50 Cent joked on Jimmy Kimmel about reports that Diddy watched his Netflix documentary on a modified tablet in prison.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
‘It’s really weird you said skinwalker,’ a New York TikToker says she told her boyfriend after hearing heavy steps near a Virginia cabin
A viral dance video came moments before a 1 AM escape from the woods
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
Along with being easier when signing for NASCAR fans, it was also 'legally a little touchy' with Teresa Earnhardt for a while
Motorsport
Motorsport
In 1956, Tressa Prisbrey turned discarded bottles into a 15-building folk-art village in California
Tressa Prisbrey, at age 60, began building Bottle Village using glass bottles from a local landfill. Over 25 years, she constructed 15 unique structures dedicated to her lost children and their memories. The site eventually became a cultural landmark and received various recognitions for its artistic significance. Visitors paid small…
The Times of India
The Times of India
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play