Seahawks’ Jermaine Kearse calling out absent students

Students in the Tumwater School District will be the first to get one of these robocalls.

Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse teamed up with the state and a local youth mentor group to try and help lower the absentee rate in Washington schools. That includes the robocall that goes to parents when their children miss class.

Kearse also recorded a wake-up call for students.

Tumwater is the first district to sign up to use the calls.

According to data from the state, the number of students who were chronically absented (18-plus absences) totaled 181,027 in 2015. That was up from 165,149 in 2014.

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