1 in 5 school age girls in the United States have missed at least a full school day due to menstruation related problems, be it illness, lack of access to menstrual products,  or lack of access to medication. 

A multi-million dollar school should not be failing it's female students by making menstrual products inaccessible. The previous Durfee building had free tampon and menstrual pad dispensing machines that female students could access in their single sex student bathrooms, without having to ask an adult or staff member for help or permission.

At our current Durfee building, there are none of these dispensing machines, and female students are expected to go to the nurse's office to ask for a tampon/menstrual pad. Female students should not have to disclose or defend their menstrual cycle to a staff member in order to receive an every-day sanitary product. This can also lead to questions about why a student can't afford or doesn't have a product with them packed already, which is not the business of a school staff member. 

Single sex bathrooms should mirror the needs of the sex using them. It's a fact that the majority of adolescent and teenage girls menstruate, and we are not welcoming girls into our school when we do not meet their needs. It is a school's responsibility to ensure students are healthy, safe, and prepared to learn for the duration of the school day. It's necessary we make menstrual products accessible in each girl's bathroom.