Writing the Superintendent

Mr. Romagnino:

Students spend about six to seven hours a day at school. Since they are away from their homes, this should not mean that things have to be inconvenient for them. No woman chooses to have their period, let alone determine when it will come. It is biological and out of their control, making it difficult for them to face every month. If a female is at school and forgets to bring her feminine hygiene products, what will she do if they’re not available at school? Cliffside Park High School must provide menstrual products to students free of cost.

As the superintendent of the school district, you should be aware of the issues females go through in your schools. Females in Cliffside Park High School struggle with not having products available to them in the restroom.

These products are a necessity since without them, this would be unsanitary for women. Bleeding is unhygienic and can lead to blood-borne illnesses and disease, which is why women must use products. If the school can provide other necessities such as soap or toilet paper for free, how come not products such as pads and tampons?

At school, the nurse provides options for female students, but this means that a female who goes to Cliffside Park High School has no other choice to help with her monthly cycle. Some girls feel embarrassed and avoid asking the nurse or their friends for menstrual products. Instead, females often ask to be called out of school or have the nurse send them home. This leads to them leaving school and missing out on their education as well, all because the products they need are at home.

This will also help the residents of Cliffside Park since it will make it easier for low-income families to know that their children have easy access to products that may be expensive. If the high school has a free and reduced lunch program which makes the food cheaper for families that need help, then this should include feminine hygiene products as well.

Period poverty is real and if we as Cliffside Park High School can help make a change to improve this issue in our school then it should become a reality instead of a possibility. As the superintendent of Cliffside Park, we the female students, would greatly appreciate your consideration of this request and making this a standard policy in the school that would benefit half of the student body.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dana Fu

Cliffside Park High School

Response:

Dana,

Thank you for writing to me regarding the availability of feminine hygiene products at Cliffside Park High School. I am always interested in hearing what students have to say, their opinions, what they are thinking and the solutions they may have to issues at the high school.

Having raised a daughter, I am well aware of the many challenges that teenage girls face during their high school years. I wasn’t aware that the feminine hygiene issues you speak about in your letter are a problem at the high school. I will speak with the high school administration and our school nurse regarding these issues. Hopefully we can make some changes and provide better support for our female students.

I would be happy to visit Mr. Adler’s 4H Composition class and have an open discussion with you and your classmates at anytime.

Regards,

Mr. Romagnino

Thank you for your insightful letter regarding the need for feminine hygiene products in the girls' lavatory.

Without students like yourself, there are some concerns that the administration would not be aware of. We agree that students should have access to feminine hygiene products and we are working on acquiring and installing dispensers.

-Mr. Pinto