New law requires Washington schools to provide free menstrual products to students
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Public and private schools in Washington will soon be required to provide free menstrual products to students.
House Bill 1273 was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee on Monday.
The law states that schools must provide menstrual hygiene products in all gender-neutral and female bathrooms by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
If a school building serving students in grades six through twelve does not have a gender-neutral bathroom, then they must be available in at least one bathroom accessible to male students or in a school health room available to all students. For schools that serve students in grades three through five, schools must provide these products in a school health room or another location designated by the principal.
The law also applies to colleges and universities.
HB 1273 defines “menstrual hygiene products” as sanitary napkins, tampons or similar items and states schools, colleges and universities must bear the cost of supplying them. All of these schools may seek grants or partner with nonprofits or community-based organizations to fulfill the obligation.
READ: Bill requiring schools to provide free menstrual products heads to Inslee’s desk
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StormeeusMaximus on May 5th, 2021 at 16:56 UTC »
My highschool (in Washington no less) never refilled the damn dispensers in the bathroom, so we usually had to go to the nurses office. Which was all the way at the other end of the school if you had any classes in the arts/science. I'm so happy for the kids who get to go there now. A few years after I graduated, they redid the entire school, and they even have doors on all the bathroom stalls now 😆. Vote yes for schools people.
summebrooke on May 5th, 2021 at 16:22 UTC »
As a former teenage girl, it was always so sad to see another girl desperately asking around for menstrual products, especially the girls that you knew didn’t have much money in their household. There’s no way to focus on school when you’re panicking about when the blood is going to start seeping through your pants or sitting on a huge wad on toilet paper shoved down your undies and praying that’s enough
Potential_Peace8448 on May 5th, 2021 at 15:44 UTC »
Shout out to the office lady for always having those products in her desks to handout to students