Once a month, all people with a period have to undergo extreme stress, pain and a variety of emotions. On top of that, they have to pay for essential products both in and out of school. Providing period products at no cost to those in need at school makes it feel like a much safer environment and those who have periods much more comfortable at school. Luckily for Redwood students, the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) provides free tampons and pads in girls, gender-non-conforming bathrooms and wellness centers, but this isn’t required for them to do.
In 2017, The Commission on State Mandates found a new requirement had been added to The Public School Restrooms Feminine Hygiene Products Mandate, “Requires certain schools to stock 50 percent of restrooms with feminine hygiene products at all times at no cost to students. The mandate applies to schools that enroll any students from grades 6‑12 and have a student body where more than 40 percent of students are low income.”
According to Great Schools’ analysis of the TUHSD, only 10 percent of students in the district are from low-income families, meaning that they don’t have to provide menstrual products for free, yet they do. So if the TUHSD can provide period products at no charge to students, why don’t all schools in California do this?
California schools use their funding from the government for other items such as equipment and school supplies. In addition, the price of tampons rose by 9.8 percent by May 28, 2022, due to inflation according to NielsenIQ, making it even more difficult to provide period products for free in schools. It’s known that school is supposed to feel like a safe and welcoming place and not adapting to the needs of a large portion of students displays inequality among the school’s population.
According to data from HuffPost, 70 percent of women use tampons and an average woman will have about 132 periods while in middle school, high school and college, depending on her age and menstrual cycle length. Using six hours as an average for changing period products, HuffPost’s data states that the average woman will spend $1,773.33 on just tampons during her lifetime and $513.33 during her time in school.
This substantial price that people with periods have to pay is ultimately unfair. It is unreasonable to charge those with periods for necessary products in school bathrooms when those without periods don’t have to worry about having or spending money on one.
A lack of income forces young girls to suffer in silence while their body goes through a process that they have no control over. Having all schools provide these products for free could act as a safe space for those who are unable to tell anyone about their period and can’t pay for the products themselves.
Despite this necessity, the amount of money that public schools in California are given by the government has very little wiggle room to also provide period products for free. Proposition 98 from the California Department of Education says, California public schools are given $13,976 per student.
While covering the costs of electricity, lunches and other necessities for a school, it’s difficult for a school to decide what the rest of the budget they’re given should go towards. Since an average woman is estimated to spend roughly $513.33 on just tampons during her time in school or about 1/3 of what a California public school is given as a budget per student, it’s almost impossible to make this change.
Having fundraisers specifically to raise money period products for free in all schools across California would allow low-income schools to still provide to their students. This would also allow them to use their government-given budgets for necessities like electricity and food. This idea could benefit the students who have periods by not having to worry about having enough money to pay for products. At the same time, students’ anxiety and stress regarding getting their period at school would reduce and allow for greater equality among students.
