Girl Scout drives legislation that could help students learn about heat-related illness and how to respond

A 12-year-old Girl Scout in Sacramento, California, has drawn on her personal experience with extreme heat to help draft a bill that would require the state's school health curriculum to include guidance on heat-related illness.

During a record-breaking heat wave in 2022, Natalie Rubio told GoodDay Sacramento, the air conditioning in her school's cafeteria failed, forcing students to eat lunch outside for multiple days amid temperatures as high as 116 degrees Fahrenheit. After many of her classmates reported feeling sick in the heat, Rubio launched her Girl Scout Silver Award project. The award program recognizes youth efforts to find sustainable solutions to community problems. 

Rubio found that many of her classmates did not understand the impacts of heat exposure or know what heat-related illness was. She presented her findings to her local school board and later connected with state lawmakers about the possibility of developing legislation.

"I came up with the idea, like, late fourth grade, beginning fifth grade, and I pitched it to a legislative aide," Rubio told local news outlet ABC 10.

In January, assemblymember Tom Lackey introduced Assembly Bill 1653. If signed into law, the legislation would add guidance to the Health Framework for California Public Schools for recognizing and responding to the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.

"I want to make sure that students stay safe in extreme heat," Rubio told local news KCRA 3. "I want all students in California to be taught the signs of heat illness and how to respond."

According to ABC 10, the bill passed the Assembly Education Committee and received support from groups like the California School Nurses Organization and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The bill now sits with the Appropriations Committee and would need to be put to a full State Assembly vote before moving to the State Senate.

The bill comes as the United States sets records for the warmest 12-month period, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile, many public schools in the U.S. may not be prepared to cope with rising temperatures. A 2020 Government Accountability Office report estimated that buildings in more than 40% of public school districts were "in immediate need of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades."

The stakes extend beyond comfort: Rising temperatures can hinder learning. A growing body of research highlights the risks of extreme heat to academic performance and cognitive function overall. A 2023 Environmental Protection Agency report projected that temperature increases of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius could "result in 4% to 7% reductions in annual academic achievement per child," linking lower performance to reduced future earnings as well.  

The impacts of extreme heat exposure on educational outcomes are widely understood to be disproportionately felt across different groups. But while there is evidence of heat exacerbating educational inequalities based on income and race, gendered impacts appear to remain under-researched in the U.S.

Globally, the impacts have been clear and well-documented: Climate shocks are a threat multiplier to girls' education and safety. Not unrelatedly, youth in some lower- and middle-income countries — such as Uganda — have indicated that the compounding conditions of water scarcity and extreme heat can make menstrual management challenging, sometimes causing students to miss school.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly issues tips to help keep kids safe during periods of extreme heat, including never leaving children in parked cars, dressing them in light clothing, ensuring proper hydration, and taking breaks from activity in cool, shaded spaces. Monitoring for signs and symptoms of heat-related stress — such as headache, nausea, and dizziness — is also key to ensuring that medical attention can be sought in a timely manner.

Broader structural challenges persist in schools around the world — including air conditioning upgrades and the implementation of passive cooling strategies. But Rubio's initiative to improve awareness of heat-related illness underscores how smaller, practical solutions rooted in lived experience can grow into policy with the potential to protect millions.

"If kids know that feeling dizzy, nauseous, or having a really bad headache means that they need to stop playing and get help, they'll be able to protect themselves from worsening symptoms," she said, testifying before lawmakers earlier this year. "Kids can't protect themselves from what they don't know, and with this simple education, we can save lives."