Several schools in Collierville taking part in Kinsa & Llysol FLUency program

COLLIERVILLE, TENN. — As the early-arriving flu season hits schools hard, health experts say it’s important to watch out for symptoms in your kids.

Some Collierville schools are making it easier to do that with the help of technology.

All parents need is a free smart thermometer and a cell phone.

They can track their child’s temperature and symptoms in an app, which then allows school officials and other parents to see what viruses are circulating.

It can help kids keep from missing their favorite classes.

Math and reading are subjects Schilling Farms Elementary 4th grader Asher Childress enjoys the most.

On Friday, he had to miss them because he was sick.

As flu season picks up, Schilling Farms is one of several schools in Collierville taking part in the Kinsa and Llysol FLUency program.

It’s an effort to track and reduce outbreaks in schools using smart thermometers.

Candace Marshall is the school’s nurse.

She said once a student’s temperature is taken, the information is sent to an app where parents can enter their symptoms.

Marshall said parents then have the option to share the data anonymously so the rest of the school can see information on any illnesses going around the school.

“It helps us track and gives me signs that there might be an illness going on in that particular grade,” Marshall said.

Marshall said the thermometers are free to parents and about 200 families at Schilling Farms are using them.

She said they were recently able to track a cluster of strep throat cases in a classroom.

Asher’s mom said it’s a powerful tool to keep children healthy and stop future outbreaks.

“I think it’s important to know what kind of illness are going around the school, so that if he’s starting to have some symptoms I can know what to expect,” she said.

The school nurse at Schilling Farms said they haven’t had many absences due to the flu so far, but are expecting that to change as cases across Shelby County start to spike.

She said the best thing you can do to stop the spread is keep you child at home if they are sick.