NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We all expect to find essentials like toilet paper and soap in public bathrooms but ask any woman, and she'll tell you free period products are rarely available.
A proposal that puts tampons and pads in every public high school bathroom is gaining traction in Tennessee.
HB 0039 would require that all public high schools and charter schools provide feminine hygiene products at no charge in all women's and girls' bathrooms, in all locker rooms, and with school nurses for student use only.
A similar bill was introduced last year by Rep. Elaine Davis, but it was not funded. The legislation carried a multi-million dollar fiscal note. However, based on data from a pilot program in Knox County, the Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Act will likely cost a lot less than original estimates.
A student from the Knoxville pilot program spoke at the Menstrual Equity Summit Luncheon on Tuesday held by AWAKE Tennessee in Nashville.
"You can't just like ask the whole class for a pad," expressed Aya Aghel of Free Period Knox.
The summit was an opportunity to relaunch the effort in 2025, convene decision-makers, and amplify student voices.
"We had a lot of support, bipartisan support for this bill," said Kelli Nowers of AWAKE Tennessee. "The hold up however was it was a pretty tight budget year in Tennessee. A number of important bills didn't pass and unfortunately, our bill was stuck behind the budget."
Tennessee also imposes one of the highest sales taxes on period products in the country at 7%.
Nashville students Lyla Sinback and Sofiya Patra attended. Their high school,
Hume-Fogg Academic High School, does make period products available to students, which is rare.
Sinback says when she's attended events at other high schools the insufficient access to these period products has been disappointing.
"I'll go and there's just nothing," said Lyla Sinback. "No access anywhere. And I've talked to a lot of friends and they've had really bad experiences not having access to any products."
It is estimated a quarter of girls have stayed home from school because they didn’t have the proper period products or the right quantity.
"It's embarrassing. It's mortifying," Sofiya Patra said about what it's like in a pinch. "It degrades you. If you've ever been in a situation where it leaks through it's not something you want to experience in front of anyone."
At least 28 states require or have made funding available for period products in schools.
The legislative session begins on January 14. If passed, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
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