Public schools are increasingly finding themselves under threats from extreme weather events, with a January report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, noting “Over one-half of public school districts [are] in counties that experienced presidentially-declared major disasters from 2017 to 2019. These school districts included over two-thirds of all students across the country,” as reported by The Washington Post. And yet, this estimate likely understate the true extent, since it was 2020 in which the regrettable record was set for the most billion-dollar climate or weather-related disasters in the United States.
With flooding and wildfires becoming more common, it’s expected the threat to schools is only going to grow, according to The Washington Post. A 2017 report indicated that around 6,500 schools were in areas at high risk of flooding, and a study published in Nature in January indicated the risks of flooding were projected to grow by another 26% by the middle of the century. Even for schools lucky enough to not find themselves in the part of a natural disaster, the indirect effects are putting them under pressure. For areas prone to fires, many schools find themselves without air filtration systems, while others lack proper or sufficient air conditioning, all of which can force temporary closures.
The effects of even these temporary closures due to extreme weather events is notable. David Pollack, professor emeritus for public policy at Oregon Health and Science University and founding member of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance, told The Washington Post, “Any disruption in one’s schooling, as has occurred with the pandemic, which has definite links and parallels to the climate crisis, or with acute disasters … has a direct impact on a child’s development.”
Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/04/13/climate-school-migration/
