Program on the Environment

As hotter days increasingly affect King County, K–12 classrooms and playground face growing risks from extreme heat that can undermine student health, attendance, comfort, and academic performance. This capstone project, completed with Public Health — Seattle & King County, aimed to identify practical heat mitigation strategies for schools and examine the opportunities and barriers that shape their adoption across districts. To support this work, I conducted a structured literature review of international, national, state, and local heat readiness guidance, synthesizing evidence on classroom and playground heat mitigation. Targeted stakeholder input was also gathered through semi-structured interviews to better understand real-world constraints and decision-making needs. Findings suggest that districts vary widely in building age, facility condition, staffing capacity, and available budgets and resources, making a one-size-fits-all approach unrealistic. As a result, this project organized strategies into low-, medium-, and high-cost options, ranging from operational actions such as heat alerts, cooling spaces, hydration, and schedule adjustments to building-level improvements such as window treatments, shade structures, HVAC upgrades, and long-term greening. These findings show that effective heat mitigation requires both immediate safety practices and longer-term investments in healthier school environments. By translating climate and public health evidence into an accessible menu of options, this project supports school districts in protecting student learning during extreme heat events while informing more equitable and climate-ready planning for King County schools.