Starting next fall New Jersey students in grades six through 12 will have free access to menstrual pads and tampons in public school bathrooms as part of an effort to reduce absenteeism and allow kids to better focus on learning.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Wednesday that requires schools that serve this age group to provide products at no cost in at least half the female and gender-neutral bathrooms. State government will cover the costs, according to the bill, and assess the program “periodically” to ensure students have the services they need and whether the initiative should be expanded to younger grades.
“Menstrual hygiene products are a necessity, not a luxury,” said state Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), a sponsor of the bill. “When this becomes an obstacle and decisions are made to not attend school, the loss is greater than just the one day. It is about the stigma young girls face around this natural monthly occurrence.”
Priced out of reach
One in four students has struggled to afford pads or tampons, according to a national study by advocates called State of the Period 2021, and half wear them longer than they should — risking infection or other diseases — in order to save money. Ruiz said four out of five teens have missed class or know someone who has just because of their monthly period.
The legislation — also sponsored by Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) and assemblywomen Gabriela Mosquera (D-Camden), Carol Murphy (D-Burlington) and Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) — notes that access to these products has a direct impact on absenteeism and academic achievement. First introduced in February 2022, the proposal was approved by the Senate and Assembly in June.
The new requirement is one of many policy changes lawmakers have proposed in recent years to counter ‘period poverty.’
Some high schools in New Jersey, like Bergen Tech in Paramus, already offer tampons and pads for free in many bathrooms. Rutgers University is expanding a similar program on campus, thanks largely to advocacy by student leaders. A pilot program in New York City high schools increased attendance by 2.4%, the bill notes, and led New York state to require schools statewide to make these products available at no cost.
But Elise Joy, a co-founder and leader of Girls Helping Girls, Period, which aims to connect people with period products, said free supplies are a rarity in the under-resourced districts where the advocacy group works. When pads and tampons do exist, they are often held in the school nurse’s office, she said, creating another barrier to easy access. “I have never spoken with a school nurse who has enough though, or who doesn’t have to pay for them out of their budget,” Joy said in an email. “It is very common that in the spring we get calls from schools asking for donations because they have run out of supplies.”
Credit: (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)The new law establishes a program in the Department of Education to provide districts funding to purchase the supplies and oversee the program. Education officials, in conjunction with leaders from the Department of Health, are also charged with reviewing districts’ progress “periodically” to determine if students are getting the products they need. If not, the state can recommend the program be expanded.
Joy said the state allocated roughly $3 million for this work, a tiny percentage of the nearly $55 billion 2024 state budget Murphy signed in June. “It’s an incredibly low cost to ensure that all students who menstruate have what they need in school,” she said.
Fighting ‘period poverty’
The new requirement is one of many policy changes lawmakers have proposed in recent years to counter “period poverty” — defined as a lack of access to products and a lack of education about what is healthy — and menstrual inequities in general. Several bills would make period products available at homeless shelters, food pantries or through federally funded social service programs, like Medicaid and WIC, or Women and Infant Children. Others seek to expand screening for certain conditions, like endometriosis and fibroids, which impact eight out of 10 Black women during their lifetimes.
Other initiatives to address period poverty are also taking shape. Starting in 2019, the state required its prison system to provide free pads and tampons to menstruating inmates. What’s more, advocates indicate New Jersey is one of 29 states that no longer charges sales tax on these products.
In addition, the state health department created a website designed to answer questions about menstruation, product selection and various complications, including pain (dysmenorrhea), heavy bleeding (menorrhagia) and conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.
Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston said the new law requiring schools to provide free products will help level the playing field for menstruating students. “This initiative will not only provide needed support to many school-aged kids with periods, it can also help normalize periods, help people overcome potential embarrassment or distress from not having what they need, and can support positive self-esteem,” she said.
