Students in New Hampshire won’t have to worry about not having access to pads and tampons thanks to new state legislation.
Free pads and tampons will now be required in all gender-neutral and girl’s bathrooms in public middle and high schools in the state.
“Providing menstrual hygiene products in public school restrooms is long overdue,” said state Sen. Martha Hennessey, the prime sponsor of the bill. “Cost and stigma can cause a lack of access to these products for New Hampshire students, which negatively impacts their productivity and attendance and makes it harder to focus on classes.”
State Rep. Polly Campion, a co-sponsor, took a similar stance.
“Being an adolescent middle or high-schooler is hard enough without the fear and embarrassment of lacking proper care products during the school day because you cannot afford them,” she said in a statement.
Funding for the new initiative will come from individual school districts’ budgets. The districts can partner with nonprofits or organizations to help fund or supply the menstrual products.
The move follows similar laws made in New York, Illinois and California. Last month, Boston Public Schools launched a pilot program to also provide free menstrual products in its schools.