Period Products in Schools

We can help our students!

We need to give all U.S. students the best opportunity to learn and thrive. 1 in 4 students who menstruate experienced period poverty in 2021 (up from 1 in 5 in 2019, according to the State of the Period study by PERIOD).

We know that without period products, these students are more likely to miss school. Before the pandemic, 4 in 5 teens reported either have missed class time or knew a classmate who missed class time because they did not have access to period products (State of the Period).

Alliance for Period Supplies and PERIOD. are working together to advocate for funding to make period products available for free in all schools so that no student misses out on learning for lack of a basic necessity.

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Currently, 28 states and Washington D.C. have passed legislation to help students who menstruate have free access to period products while in school (as of July 16, 2024).

Overall, the details of period products in schools legislation vary widely between states. Some bills include state funding to make product available schools, while other bills have resulted in unfunded mandates. Many states require period products be available in middle and high school restrooms, while others include elementary schools. Some legislation also requires period products in restrooms of public colleges and universities.

More information about legislation that has been signed into law is available below. If you are interested in introducing a period products in schools bill in your own state, please check out our model legislation.

Download the printable period products in schools infographic here.

2024

Nebraska

Nebraska: For the 2025-2026 school year, a pilot program will provide $250,000 to make period products available to school districts across Nebraska. Each school district that receives free period products as part of the pilot program must ensure that period products – including both pads and tampons – are available in school bathrooms at no cost to students.

Colorado

Colorado: In 2021, the Colorado legislature created a Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Grant Program to provide funding for schools that have 50% of students enrolled who are eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch to provide period products at no cost to students. In 2024, the legislation was expanded to require that all schools, with grades 6-12, provide period supplies free of charge. Annually, the state will provide $200,000 to help fund the mandate.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania: $3,000,000 for the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Education, was included in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 state budget to award grants to school entities to provide period products at no cost to students.

2023

New Mexico

New Mexico – As of April 2023, New Mexico requires and funds period products in all women’s and gender-neutral middle and high school bathrooms, at least one men’s bathroom and one elementary bathroom. The bill is funded through the state budget.

Arizona

Arizona: For FY 2023-2024, Arizona included $2,000,000 in the Department of Education budget for period products. No legislation was passed in Arizona to mandate that schools provide the products, however, this funding will significantly impact schools’ ability to provide these essential items.

Minnesota

Minnesota: Beginning January of 2024, all school districts or charter schools, must provide students with period products at no charge in restrooms used by all menstruation students in grades 4 to 12. This mandate is fully funded and included in the state budget.

Ohio

Ohio: Beginning in the 2023-2024 school years, Ohio schools will be able to utilize $5,000,000 of state budget funding to provide period products in schools. This budget funding created a Feminine Hygiene Fund in the state budget which allows schools to be reimbursed for expenses incurred providing products for students.

New Jersey

New Jersey: Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, New Jersey schools must provide period products in at least 50% of all women’s and gender-neutral bathrooms in schools that educate students in grades 6 through 12. The cost of the period supplies will be on the state.

Michigan

Michigan: A 2023-2024 school year pilot program will provide $1,000,000 to fund period products in schools for 8 schools throughout Michigan but is not yet widely available.

2022

Utah

Utah – As of July 2022, this legislation requires local school boards and charter schools in Utah to provide period products in each female or unisex restroom within an elementary, middle, junior, or high school, at no charge to students. This legislation asks that funds be incorporated into local ongoing capitol operations and maintenance budgets by July 1, 2025.

Alabama

Alabama – Beginning in August 2022, public schools that receive Title I funds, and provide instruction in grades 5 – 12, are able to annually apply for grants to provide period products at no costs to students from the $250,000 grant fund. The products are dispensed by a school nurse or other designated female faculty member. In the 2024 Legislative Session, the funding increased to $400,000.

Connecticut

Connecticut – Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, all Connecticut public schools serving students in grades 4-12 shall provide free period products in restrooms that are accessible to students. This legislation also requires free period products be provided in shelters, a female inmate institution, and public institutions of higher education. This bill is funded through the annual budget beginning with $2,000,000 for FY2022-FY2023.

Hawaii

Hawaii – Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, the Hawaii Department of Education is required to provide period products free of charge to all students on all public school and public charter campuses. The state appropriates $2,000,000 to fund this mandate in the state budget.

Missouri

Missouri – Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was provided with $1,000,000 in their state budget, for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, to provide period products in all middle school, junior high, and high school buildings in which there are students in grades 6-12 at no cost to students.

North Carolina

North Carolina – As of July 2022, North Carolina established the Feminine Hygiene Products Grant Program, within the state budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, to provide schools with grants for providing period products in public schools at no charge to students.

2021

Delaware

Delaware – As of April 2021, all public and charter schools in Delaware are required to provide period products at no cost to students in at least half of the schools’ restrooms, if any grade between 6 and 12 are taught at the school. In, June 2022, Delaware passed a bill expanding the provision to provide products to schools with 4th and 5th graders.

Oregon

Oregon – As of July 2021, every public school in Oregon is required to provide period products in at least two student bathrooms of every public school building.

Illinois

Illinois – As of the 2021-2022 school year, all Illinois school districts are required to make period products available at no costs to students in each bathroom of every school building for schools that provide instruction in grades 4 – 12. Additional legislation in Illinois requires period products be provided in public universities, community colleges, and homeless shelters.

Nevada

Nevada – As of the 2021-2022 school year, Nevada public and charter middle, junior high, and high schools are required to provide period products in restrooms at no cost to students. The legislation requires the Board of Trustees of each school district to provide a report evaluating this program every other year.

California

California – Before the 2022-2023 school year, all California public schools that teach grades 6 – 12 are required to provide period products, free of charge, in all women’s and all-gender restrooms, and at least one men’s restroom. California public universities are required to provide period products at no fewer than one centrally located restroom. This legislation appropriates $2,000,000 for school districts in year one and $1,300,000 for each year after.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island – By the start of the 2022-2023 school year, all Rhode Island public schools are required to provide free period products in all female and gender-neutral bathrooms that serve students in grades 5-12.

Washington

Washington – By the 2022-2023 school year, school districts, charter schools, state-tribal compact schools, and private schools must make period products available at no cost in all gender neutral and female bathrooms, as well as one male bathroom, serving students in grades 6-12.

Vermont

Vermont – As of July 2021, Vermont requires all public schools to provide period products free of charge for all students aged eight or older in female designated restrooms and gender neutral restrooms. The schools are required to bear the cost of the products.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. – Beginning in 2022, all local education agencies, private schools, the University of DC, private universities and colleges, and vocational schools are required to install and maintain dispensers to provide period products, at no cost, in women’s and gender neutral bathrooms, beginning in grade 4. This legislation utilized existing funds in the current budget for the remainder of 2022.

Maryland

Maryland – This legislation requires that county school boards of education ensure each public school provides, at no charge to students, period products via dispensers in women’s restrooms. This legislation provides funding ($500,000) for the initial installation of dispensers and requires that middle and high schools install at least two dispensers, and elementary schools install at least one dispenser, by October 1, 2022.

2020

Virginia

Virginia – Effective July 2020, all Virginia public elementary, middle, and high schools are required to provide period products at no cost to students in bathrooms of each middle and high school, and in accessible locations of elementary schools as is deemed appropriate by the local school division.

2019

Georgia

Georgia – In 2019, Georgia’s Department of Education received nearly $1,000,000 of budget funding to provide period products in Georgia public schools. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the funding was slashed to $300,000 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. However, funding was restored and expanded to $1,250,000 for FY22, and again in FY23 by an additional $200,000 to include funding to support 5th grade students.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire – Effective July 2019, all New Hampshire public middle and high schools are required to provide period products in all female and gender neutral bathrooms at no cost to students.

2018

New York

New York – A bill that took effect in 2018, requires all elementary and secondary public schools in the state serving students in any grade from 6 – 12 to provide period supplies products in the restrooms of such school building or buildings at no charge to students.

Student Advocacy Toolkit

Period products are school supplies. In order for students to be at school and present, these basic necessities are required, yet many schools don’t provide these products. Through advocacy and legislation, the Alliance for Period Supplies is working to ensure that states mandate and fully fund providing products in schools.

Download our Student Advocacy Toolkit to learn more about advocating to get period products in your school.

Model Legislation

Many states have passed legislation in the past few years to have free period products in school bathrooms. Below is a form to download our model legislation. This is our recommendation for bills but each state is different. For help crafting state specific legislation, please email Lacey Gero.