Interactions at schoolhouse entrances look a bit different during a major health crisis.

At some schools, there no longer are packs of students crowding through doors or parents lingering to say goodbye. Instead, school officials stand by — or drones fly over — scanning the temperatures of those seeking to enter the building.

Infrared thermometers are a key technology K–12 schools are starting to use as part of efforts to prevent the spread of illness in school buildings. K–12 leaders, like those in other industries, still use standard options for limiting viral spread in buildings, such as requiring everyone to wear a face mask, enforcing physical distancing and regularly sanitizing commonly touched surfaces. But as students and teachers returned to school buildings in Taiwan, Australia and Denmark, officials have adopted infrared sensor solutions that automatically identify increased temperatures in hopes of reducing the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. Some U.S. schools are following suit.