Time for a Change. Period.
Students reflect on the availability of feminine hygiene products in school
Wouldn’t it be so inconvenient to live in a world where you had to pay for toilet paper in public bathrooms?
With around 1,700 students, with roughly 50% of them being female, BHS should be providing free and accessible products. This is like if you went to the bathroom, and you saw that you’d have to pay 25 cents for toilet paper: not only would it be annoying, but it would be majorly inconvenient.
Period Product Access at BHS
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Legal Requirements Minnesota Statute 121A.212 mandates that period products must be free and accessible to all students.
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Current Inconveniences Students report that existing machines are often unstocked and require change that many students no longer carry.
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Product Quality The current selection of products is described as flimsy, low-quality, and lacking diverse options.
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Call to Action BHS must follow state standards and provide free, high-quality essentials similar to neighboring school districts.
According to the 121a.212 bill of the Minnesota Statutes, period products are supposed to be free and accessible at all times to all students that may need them. With the move from a mainly cash paying society to a card paying society it is becoming more and more uncommon to carry change, especially as a high school student.
“Not only are the school’s period products inconvenient, they also are not worth the money you pay for them on the off chance you do bring change,” an anonymous student said. “All the bathrooms have machines, but they’re never stocked, and they’re always between 25 and 75 cents. Throughout the school day you can use anywhere from 1 – if you don’t have any after school activities – to around 3 or 4 – if you have after school activities – and depending on your flow.”
“The period products look really old or they’re really cheap and flimsy,” an anonymous student said. “They don’t hold up and they don’t have different options for tampons, they just put a regular in and hope it’s good enough for everybody.”
Yes, they’re expensive, but something this important should also be better quality. This all comes back to the idea that period products need to be free at BHS, and not just for legal reasons, but humane ones.
“It’s the same as toilet paper, it’s not optional, it’s needed.” said Anonymous.
Schools like Sartell and Rockford both abide by the legislature, and carry a diverse range of good quality products. So why isn’t BHS following the standards and rules that have been set by our state government? Access to period products in schools is not optional; it’s essential.
For Reference: Statute 121A.212
