Families in Macalester-Groveland may want to follow a Minnesota proposal requiring public and charter schools to provide free menstrual products in student restrooms used by grades 4 through 12.
According to Alpha News, the bill says school districts and charter schools must give students no-cost access to menstrual products in restrooms used by students in grades 4 through 12.
An amendment from Rep. Dean Urdahl would have added the word “female” to the restroom requirement. Urdahl described the proposal as a matter of practicality; the committee did not adopt it.
Sponsor Sandra Feist argued that adding “female” could quickly become outdated as schools adopt gender-neutral facilities. She also maintained that students who are not female may menstruate and should have access without asking staff for products.
Funding would come through a proposed $2-per-student increase in school operating-capital revenue, according to Feist. She said students sometimes miss class when products are unavailable.
The debate illustrates how statewide education mandates can produce practical questions for individual communities such as Macalester-Groveland.
Article Source: Alpha News: “DFL legislators want menstrual products in boys’ bathrooms”
