The push for menstrual equity in schools has become a priority for districts in recent years, and the Troy School District is no exception. Free menstrual products were added in all Troy School District middle and high school women’s restrooms at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
Although the addition of menstrual products is fairly new to the district’s women’s restrooms, the initiative started back in 2019. Mrs. Christine DiPilato, Troy School District’s Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education and key facilitator of the menstrual product initiative, noted that the project started “with a conversation with two middle school moms who were concerned and wanted to provide the opportunity for their daughters and for other girls in the district.” The pair brought this issue to the attention of Troy School District administrators such as DiPilato, and several other community members echoed the need for menstrual resources. Emphasizing that this initiative was student-led and community driven, DiPilato conveyed that there were several female student advocates across the district that expressed their desire for free menstrual products across middle and high school restrooms.
The menstrual products in Troy School District middle and high school restrooms are currently supplied by Aunt Flow, which, according to their website, is a women-owned company that “stocks 100% organic cotton menstrual products in business and school bathrooms” and was recommended by a student’s mother. However, the process of partnering with Aunt Flow was not immediate. A pilot program was launched at all four Troy School District middle schools throughout the fourth quarter of the 2022-2023 school year to determine whether the menstrual products would be used, collect data on which products were used and whether there was an uptick in vandalism. Although there was an initial concern over misuse and vandalism of the period products, the concern was dismissed following the results of the pilot program.
While reviewing the process, DiPilato expressed that through the pilot program, they “learned that there really was no vandalism at all and that students were really using the products appropriately, which was incredible, and products were being used which identified the need.” With the success of the pilot program, free menstrual products were rolled out to all Troy School District high schools.
Manahil Imran, Troy High School senior and board member of the school’s She’s the First chapter, supports the addition. “I do think it is a good initiative. I think it’s really resourceful for people who can’t afford menstrual products or who don’t have access to them at home.”
The Troy High School She’s the First chapter is part of a larger “grassroots organization to make sure girls everywhere are educated, respected, and heard” according to the She’s the First website.
Rachel Zhai, Troy High School senior and fellow board member of the school’s She’s the First chapter, also believes the initiative is a step towards menstrual equity, but suggests that “it may be better to add more of a variety of period products because not just one type suits every person,” which Zhai believes could be acted upon and strengthen the initiative in the future.
Although the menstrual products come at a cost to the district, DiPilato believes that the initiative is “a message that we are investing in the needs of our students” and is “proud of the school district for taking the steps needed to provide menstrual resources.” Providing menstrual products in schools is becoming a popular conversation concerning female students across the globe, and the Troy School District is taking measures to address the push for menstrual equity.
