Source: TapInto.net
A new law requires New Jersey schools to offer free menstrual products for students in grades six through 12, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed (S1221/A1349) in Trenton.
“When students can’t access the menstrual products they need for their reproductive health, the potential stress and stigma too often distracts them from their classes or forces them to skip school entirely – leading to social and academic repercussions that no one should have to face,” Murphy said in a statement.
“Promoting menstrual equity in our schools is one crucial component of our ongoing efforts to ensure the success of young people throughout our state and promote equity at every level.”
The law requires schools to provide menstrual products in at least half of all the female and gender-neutral bathrooms. New Jersey will pay for any costs incurred by the schools.
Murphy’s office cited a 2021 study from period.org that found one in four teenagers nationwide struggles to afford menstrual products, especially students of color and those from low-income families.
“We are thrilled to have passed an inclusive law with gender-neutral language that gives all menstruating students, in New Jersey’s best-in-the-nation public education system, access to period products in their school’s bathrooms,” Anjali Mehrotra, founder of the Equality, Period. NJ coalition, said.
“While the ability to access menstrual products primarily affects students in low-income communities, we have heard firsthand accounts of students missing school for lack of access to menstrual products in both low income and affluent districts across the state.”
“It is critical to education that we de-stigmatize menstruation,” Elise Joy, Executive Director/Co-Founder of Girls Helping Girls. Period, said in a statement. “This law recognizes that, as a society, we have an obligation to meet basic needs for all students, including those who get periods. We are so proud to have worked with lawmakers to craft a bill that is thoughtful, compassionate, and an example for other states.”
More information on period issues and products can be found at nj.gov/health/periods.