LYNN — Lynn Public Schools is trying to cut down on the number of female students who miss class because of their periods.
Armed with statistics from Always, which show that one in five American girls has missed school due to lack of period protection, the Lynn School Committee voted last week to install dispensers stocked with free pads and tampons in the bathrooms of all of the district’s secondary schools.
“The bottom line for me is we want every student to be able to attend school and be in classes with dignity,” said Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “When you think about (what’s) in our bathrooms, the types of products in there that students need, it seems to me to be a no-brainer to have those feminine hygiene products available, especially if it makes the ability to remain in class that much more probable.”
The lack of access is multi-pronged, said Tutwiler. It could be that some female students may not be able to afford feminine hygiene products, a problem that has been coined “period poverty,” or they simply may not have the pads or tampons on hand when their period starts.
“It’s an equity issue,” said School Committee member Jared Nicholson, who brought the proposal before the panel this past fall. “Anything we can do to make sure our students are prepared to learn is important.”
Currently, in the schools, female students can go to the nurse’s office and ask for free pads or tampons, but Nicholson said some students may be uncomfortable having that conversation or lack the time for an office visit.
Still, there are more than 2,000 visits to school nurses per year related to the need for menstrual products, Tutwiler said.
“Here, it’s removing the need to ask for it,” said Tutwiler. “To simply access it seems to be fair and appropriate to our female students.”
With the committee’s unanimous approval, female students will be able to access pads and tampons in school bathrooms next year.
The city’s Inspectional Services Department has determined the district will need 70 dispensers. The estimated $16,000 one-time cost will come from the ISD budget. To stock the product, a 500-count box of tampons and a 250-count box of maxi pads costs $98 and about $53 respectively, according to a correspondence from Joseph Smart, director of buildings and grounds for ISD.
Tutwiler said it hasn’t been determined whether the cost of supplies will come from the ISD or school department budget.
Lynn’s decision to stock school bathrooms with pads and tampons is not unique. Nicholson said he noticed last summer that other cities and states were offering the free products to improve access and therefore, help students stay in school.
For instance, school districts in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville have all run pilot programs for offering the products in bathrooms, according to state Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead).
A bill that would make it mandatory for secondary schools, or elementary schools that house sixth grade, to offer free pads and tampons in bathrooms by Aug. 1 is pending in the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Education, Ehrlich said.
If the legislation passes — all bills are scheduled to be out of committee by Feb. 5 — Massachusetts would join California, Illinois, New Hampshire and New York, states that have passed similar requirements.
“You could say it’s a form of equity and I think the issue is more widespread than people are aware,” said Ehrlich. “I’m in favor of it because it evens the playing field a little bit. It also allows girls who may not have the resources they need to feel that they can come to school and focus on their studies.”
