Missouri school districts are now offering free menstrual hygiene products to students through a new source of state funding.
The program is beginning as school nurses across the state report a serious need for products to help their students manage their periods. In a new survey, most nurses say they have students who have missed school because of their periods and have students who struggle to afford products such as tampons and pads.
That’s according to preliminary research presented by St. Louis University associate professor Anne Sebert Kuhlmann at the Missouri Public Health Association conference.
This research shows difficulty managing menstruation is affecting students’ education across the state, regardless of location or demographic differences in districts. Nurses from almost all Missouri counties responded to the survey, representing two out of three public school districts in the state.
“It’s not just in the urban core areas, but despite differences in district characteristics, nurses in pretty much all of the districts that responded were reporting some of these same issues,” Sebert Kuhlmann said.
Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has $1 million to reimburse schools for menstrual hygiene products. Bart Washer, Interim Assistant Commissioner with the Office of College and Career Readiness, said schools have some flexibility in what they can provide for their students, from tampons and pads to reusable menstrual cups and underwear.
“We have heard stories about students not being able to fund these products for themselves,” Washer said. “The fact that they can stay in school because they now have access to products that they need, we can focus on that level of care to help them continue learning.”
Sebert Kulhmann’s latest research built on previous work that examined menstrual hygiene needs in the Jennings School District in St. Louis.
St. Louis University researchers anonymously surveyed more than 100 female students at Jennings Senior High School in February 2020 about their menstrual needs, including whether they had trouble accessing tampons and other products.
Nearly two-thirds said they hadn’t had enough money to purchase period products during the school year.
About 1 in 3 of the survey’s respondents said they had missed school because they didn’t have access to tampons or pads, often at least one day per month. Almost 70% of students said they relied on school employees for period products, including nurses and teachers.
Jennings Senior High School Principal Cryslynn Billingsley said since the research was published, her district received an influx of donations that helped meet students’ needs. Now, the school tries to talk openly about menstruation to make sure students are supported and educated.
“When we have ninth grade students coming in, they’re not used to speaking so openly about it,” Billingsley said. “They’re still kind of shrouded in the stigma about discussing a period.”
Billingsley’s school makes sure all teachers have kits with period products in their classrooms. Students can also go to the nurse or front office.
“We’re socialized to kind of overlook some of the issues that impact girls,” Billingsley said. “So here’s another opportunity for us to address some of that socialization, and that you don’t have to be ashamed about having a period.”
Every district in Missouri can receive at least $500 through the program, but schools can request reimbursement for more if they have more students or higher-need students.
“It is a very real situation for schools that they need those products, [students] need to be able to have a consistent access and supply of those products,” Sebert Kuhlmann added.
For now, the program is only available for sixth through 12th grades, which Sebert Kuhlmann says could miss students who start their periods early.
The grant is only for this year. Washer said both his department and the governor have requested the legislature fund the program again.
This article originally appeared here.
