SHERWOOD, Ark. (KTHV) – Parents at Sherwood Elementary can see what types of illnesses are spreading through their child’s classroom with the help of an app.
Sherwood Elementary School is one of 500 schools nationally participating in the FLUency program by Kinsa. With the help of Lysol, Kinsa provided 80 families in Sherwood with free smart thermometers that connect to the Kinsa app.
"It automatically linked her temperature to my smartphone, so it was an automatic response of if she was in the healthy range or if she needed treatment,” Robyn Cartwright said.
Robyn Cartwright is one of 80 parents who received a free thermometer. She said it keeps her in the know about what is going around so she can keep an eye out for her daughter. Parents take their child’s temperature and it uploads it to their profile to let other parents know a child is sick.
“She’s in first grade and so it tells us what illnesses have been reported in the first grade with what symptoms,” she said.
The school received the thermometers in mid-November. Three other schools in Arkansas are also participating in the program.
"I've seen ear infections, stomach bug,” Cartwright said.
The app even has a game for kids to play while their parents are taking their temperature.
"There are bubbles so that they can actually pop the bubbles to keep them entertained,” Cartwright said.
Amy Shirley is the registered Nurse at Sherwood Elementary. She said the app also allows parents to communicate with her if they have any questions on how to treat their child.
“They can ask anonymously,” Shirley said.
She said parents have to input what their child is diagnosed with in order to get a better report.
"No one will know who it is, but we'll know for instance if there's a case of head lice in first grade, and that way parents will know to check their children's heads,” Shirley said.
She said the app gives her and parents a peace of mind.
"Sometimes parents don't always call up here and let you know what diagnosis they got. It gives me a better idea to let the teachers know when to provide extra attention to sanitation in their classroom,” Shirley said.
Kinsa also sends parents a weekly email report that tells them how many kids at Sherwood Elementary are sick. The school hopes to provide free thermometers for every family by next year.