The impact of extreme weather on school communities

The impact of extreme weather on school communities continues to gain globalized attention, with certain extreme weather events becoming more unpredictable, intense, longer lasting, and more frequent. Examples of extreme weather impacts include more intense and prolonged heat waves, snowstorms, extreme winds, bushfires/wildfires and heavy rainfall. Slight discomforts in the classroom can impact upon academic performances and in rare cases fatalities can occur from extreme storms. Ensuring that schools are better informed to protect across various temporal scales is vital in the face of all extremes. Scholars suggest that there are two key factors that can better shape school community responses to extreme weather events; 1- improving knowledge and awareness and 2- utilising such knowledge to inform perceptions of risk. Among the extreme weather influences, school children across the globe are expected to learn key skills and habits to prepare themselves for adulthood and future careers. This chapter provides an overview of extreme weather influences on schools, and insight into the scholarly contributions that will better inform how schools and education systems are countering extreme weather from direct and indirect impacts.