On Wednesday, the West Virginia Senate passed a bill that would require the boards of education of each county to provide free feminine hygiene products to grades three through 12.
On Wednesday, the West Virginia Senate passed a bill that would require the boards of education in each county to provide free feminine hygiene products to grades three through 12.
The local boards are also required to develop a plan to make the products available so the student can obtain them discreetly.
A 2021 study conducted by U from Kotex, the founding sponsor of Alliance for Period Supplies, found that two in five people have struggled to purchase period products, a problem the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded.
If the House of Delegates approves Senate Bill 489 and it is signed by the governor, West Virginia would join 16 other states in requiring period products in schools.
The bill now goes to the House for their consideration.
Author: Emily Rice
Emily has been with WVPB since December 2022 and is the Appalachia Health News Reporter, based in Charleston. She has worked in several areas of journalism since her graduation from Marshall University in 2016, including work as a reporter, photographer, videographer and managing editor for newsprint and magazines. Before coming to WVPB, she worked as the features editor of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the managing editor of West Virginia Executive Magazine and as an education reporter for The Cortez Journal in Cortez, Colorado.
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