Flooding schools: School mental health providers and the climate crisis

Journal article

Erik J Reinbergs, Sarah Fefer
International Journal of School Social Work, vol. 5(2), 2020

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APA Click to copy
Reinbergs, E. J., & Fefer, S. (2020). Flooding schools: School mental health providers and the climate crisis. International Journal of School Social Work, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.4148/2161-4148.1062

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Reinbergs, Erik J, and Sarah Fefer. “Flooding Schools: School Mental Health Providers and the Climate Crisis.” International Journal of School Social Work 5, no. 2 (2020).

MLA Click to copy
Reinbergs, Erik J., and Sarah Fefer. “Flooding Schools: School Mental Health Providers and the Climate Crisis.” International Journal of School Social Work, vol. 5, no. 2, 2020, doi:10.4148/2161-4148.1062.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{reinbergs2020a,
  title = {Flooding schools: School mental health providers and the climate crisis},
  year = {2020},
  issue = {2},
  journal = {International Journal of School Social Work},
  volume = {5},
  doi = {10.4148/2161-4148.1062},
  author = {Reinbergs, Erik J and Fefer, Sarah}
}

This study provides an example of using a problem-solving model to explore the impact of the climate crisis on schools. Using publicly available climate change and flooding prediction data, we estimate that by 2100, assuming a “medium” climate change scenario, more than 1677 schools in the coastal United States are expected to flood every year and more than 2262 schools are expected to flood every 10 years. Within the data, “medium” is defined as warming levels that will lead to an estimated five feet of sea level rise by the year 2100. Limitations in the data suggest these numbers are likely overly conservative estimates and preclude the analysis of more extreme climate models. Potential actions, the role school mental health providers, and the involvement of students in climate advocacy are discussed.