Hot Days, Unsafe Schools? The Impact of Heat on School Shootings (opens in new tab)

Using data on shootings in U.S.\ K--12 schools from 1981 to 2022, we estimate the effect of temperature on school shootings and assess climate-change impacts. We find that days with maximum temperatures above 90$^{\circ}$F increase school shooting incidence by approximately 90\% relative to days with maximum temperatures below 70$^{\circ}$F. The response is concentrated in interpersonal incidents and in non-class periods, such as before scho...