How much do educators want to fight ‘period poverty’ at NC schools? Here are some clues
As legislators consider giving schools more money for free menstrual hygiene products, it’s clear that demand for help is strong in North Carolina.
The Feminine Hygiene Products Grant program, funded in last year’s state budget, was so popular that the allotted $250,000 ran out in two days, said Lillian Pinto, a reproductive health consultant for the Department of Public Instruction. Sixty-eight applications went unfunded.
In May, state legislators filed the Menstrual Equity for All Act, which contains a provision to establish recurring funds for the program in addition to waiving the sales tax on menstrual products. If the bill passes, it would double the amount of money allotted to the program and allow it to be offered annually.
The goal is to reduce the effects of “period poverty,” or not having access to menstrual products, sanitation or education about periods.
A 2021 national survey of teens who menstruate, funded by period underwear company Thinx and advocacy group PERIOD, found one in four couldn’t afford menstrual products and four in 10 felt they couldn’t do their best school work because they didn’t have them. In 2019, more than four in five students surveyed nationwide had missed class during their period or knew someone who had.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia require schools to provide menstrual products to students, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies, a partner of PERIOD that addresses period poverty in schools. However, the Alliance says most of those states don’t provide additional funding to do so, which can pose barriers to fulfilling access needs.
Supporters of expanding state funding in North Carolina told the News & Observer that continuing the program may help more students experiencing period poverty attend school less disruption.
Pinto said the response this year shows “substantial need.” DPI continues to get inquiries about the program weekly, she said.
Where did the money go?
Last year’s program allowed public school districts, charter schools and other specialized schools to apply for up to $5,000 to provide menstrual products like pads, tampons and period underwear to their students. Grants were released by mid-February, according to a DPI newsletter.
Only 66 of the 134 applicants to the program received grants. Three of the state’s largest school districts – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Durham Public Schools and Wake County Public School System – did not see any of that money.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had already included feminine hygiene products in the 2021-2022 budget, so it didn’t apply for the grant, spokesperson Eduardo Perez told The Observer. The district is interested in applying if the funding is renewed.
Wake County Public School System “did not participate” in the grant program, spokesperson Lisa Luten wrote in an email. Luten also noted that she could not speculate on whether the district would apply in the future.
Durham Public Schools applied for the grant but DPI was unable to fund the district’s request because money had already run out, Pinto wrote in an email message. Some Mecklenburg and Wake County charter schools received funding.
Emma Dulin, a rising senior at William Amos Hough High School, wasn’t aware of the state grant program, but said she thought that CMS could benefit from it.
Dulin is the founder of the Pink Bin Project, an initiative to collect and distribute menstrual hygiene products to low income individuals in Charlotte.
“In schools across Mecklenburg County, I’m sure there are plenty of girls that lack access,” Dulin said. “Oftentimes a nurse may have feminine hygiene products but nobody knows, and it’s not talked about enough to where people are comfortable to reach out.”
The extent of period poverty is not known because it hasn’t been studied adequately, Dulin said.
A range of needs
Grant recipients described their needs in different ways, according to a report to legislators. Some mentioned students asking for period products to take home; others pointed to the percentage of their students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The Davidson County Schools application mentioned that 34% of its students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, but acknowledged it wasn’t certain about the extent of the need for free supplies.
Despite lingering questions about who needs what type of help, grant recipients said they made the money work for their students.
Union County Public Schools focused on campuses where at least 40% of students are economically disadvantaged. The district purchased pads, tampons and panties for students at Monroe Middle, Monroe High, East Union Middle and Forest Hills High, according to district spokesperson Tahira Stalberte.
Lincoln Charter Academy in Lincolnton, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte, landed $5,000 to install and fill product dispensers in restrooms, which will be finished this summer.
Still, school officials are thinking about future needs, according to chief administrator Jonathan Bryant. “We will definitely be watching for future grants,” he said.
Pinto said it would take time to track the impact of the program on student absenteeism and other school-related issues. DPI tracks attendance but does not keep track of reasons for missing school. Shame around menstruation might keep students from being honest about why they’re absent, she said.
“The proposed increase in funding for the program is heartening, and we are grateful that the General Assembly has proposed this increase,” Pinto said. “I can imagine we could have even more interest in future opportunities.”
Below is a list of all recipients and grant amounts:
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 11:37 AM.
