Toilet paper, hand soap, paper towels, Covid-19 tests, and masks. In the 21st century, these are examples of items that schools provide for free to protect the health and safety of students. When it comes to women's health, however, too many educational leaders haven’t done their homework. Not providing feminine hygiene products and expecting young women to bring their own to school is like forcing students to carry toilet paper and hand soap in their backpacks. 

According to a Forbes article, a study of menstruating teenagers revealed that 23% of them struggled to afford period products. One way to combat this is by making period products free in public schools. A qualified teacher and adequate school supplies are not the only two things necessary for a good education, and it’s about time we recognize that. Students have a hard time learning if they feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or anxious. Not having access to feminine hygiene products can make students feel all of these emotions. When students in school are more concerned about leaking than their lessons, the system is failing them.

It is imperative that we don’t flush a chance to help students down the drain. A New York Times article from January of 2021 noted that “six states have mandated menstrual products be provided in schools.” Providing period products in schools is a good start, but placing them in the nurse's office is not good enough. Nurses become school gatekeepers, having the only key to the stash of period products. What if the nurse is not in their office? What if the nurse’s office is in the opposite direction of the student’s next class? What if students skip the trip to avoid what may feel like an embarrassing interaction? We can avoid missed class time, distraction from learning, and unnecessary embarrassment by putting period products in the bathroom where they belong. 

This is about more than adolescent embarrassment-- it is a matter of keeping kids safe.  When people are forced to use newspapers, paper bags, paper towels, or toilet paper instead of period products-- or if they wear the same pad or tampon for too long, they are vulnerable to conditions like Toxic Shock Syndrome, and other conditions that raise their risk of getting cervical cancer. It is unacceptable to put students in a situation where they must choose between their health and their education.

Providing free and easy access to period products in schools will go a long way toward de-stigmatizing periods and normalizing a regular bodily function. So far, only six states have mandated that menstrual products be provided in schools. It’s time for the other forty-four states to go with the flow. 

Sources Cited:

Goldberg, Emma. “Many Lack Access to Pads and Tampons. What Are Lawmakers Doing about It?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Jan. 2021, nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/tampons-pads-period.html. 

Broster, Alice. “Almost a Quarter of Students Struggle to Access Period Products, New Study Finds.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 May 2021, forbes.com/sites/alicebroster/2021/05/20/almost-a-quarter-of-students-struggle-to-access-period-products-new-study-finds/?sh=6a32cb9949de.