A student sits in a school restroom stall, unable to find the menstrual supplies that they need. Difficulty in obtaining these products can lead to academic and mental health struggles in students. Illustration by Eleanor Robinson
Providing free menstrual supplies in school restrooms would benefit students’ mental health and academics.
The Clarke County School District provides essential supplies for students, including two free meals a day, Personal Learning Devices and COVID-19 related necessities such as masks. However, there is one necessary supply that CCSD students are missing: menstrual products.
For menstruating students, having access to menstrual supplies is integral for normal day-to-day functions, including academic and extracurricular responsibilities.
At Clarke Central High School, according to US News, 51% of students are current or future menstruators and 92% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch under the National School Lunch Act.
With such high percentages of students who may be unable to afford menstrual supplies but still need them, the CCSD needs to make these products available to the student community.
With such high percentages of students who may be unable to afford menstrual supplies but still need them, the CCSD needs to make these products available to the student community.
For students who are unable to obtain menstrual products, the lack of essential hygienic supplies negatively affects their academics due to stress and missing class.
According to a CCHS student poll conducted by the 2020-21 Women’s Literature class, 64% of menstruating students have had to miss school because of their period, and 92% report that period or period product-related stress has made it hard for them to learn.
“There were a lot of times that I needed to quietly go ask my friend for a period product because I knew the bathrooms wouldn’t have any or go to teachers that I knew had them,” junior Amelia Baer said. “But there was always that added extra anxiety, like, ‘Is my teacher going to let me go to the bathroom?’”
Providing these products to students has also been shown to benefit school attendance. A program in New York City found a 2.4% increase in attendance in female students when free period products were provided in school restrooms.
Making these supplies easily available to middle and high school students would help with CCHS and CCSD administration’s efforts to increase attendance rates at schools in the district.
While some people argue that students may waste and misuse these products, the benefits of providing them far outweigh the risks.
“Getting your period is as natural as any other thing that happens in the bathroom, which makes period products as necessary as toilet paper and paper towels. I think providing those products would help destigmatize (periods).”
— Amelia Baer,
Junior
In addition, although menstrual products are stocked in nurse’s offices in schools throughout the district, the long walk to the clinic can be risky for students who may urgently need a pad or tampon.
Menstruating students having to go to the school nurse to get period products contributes to the stigma surrounding menstruation, and students may be uncomfortable with doing this, which negatively impacts mental health. Baer believes that providing these products would help alleviate this stigmatization.
“Getting your period is as natural as any other thing that happens in the bathroom, which makes period products as necessary as toilet paper and paper towels,” Baer said. “I think providing those products would help destigmatize (periods).”
The lack of menstrual products in school bathrooms leads to both academic and mental health related issues at the school, and CCHS and district administrators need to provide these products to help students who need them.
