49.29% of Tahoma High School students experience periods. It’s very important to make sure the students who experience periods have access to the necessary materials to prevent unwanted embarrassment.

Unfortunately, the only way students at our school can gets pads or tampons, if they run out, is to ask a teacher, a friend, or the nurse. Sometimes asking for help is the scariest part. The only other option is to pay for supplies through the dispensers in the bathroom or locker rooms.

Students should never have to worry about having to pay for a basic hygiene product, for something they have no control over. Most students don’t carry tons of change on them at all times. Finding a quarter to pay for it creates a major inconvenience for the almost 50% of students in our school who have periods. 

“It’s unnecessary, people never use the dispensers because none of us have quarters.” Francesca Huser stated. “It’s really unfair because if a person who has a period chooses not to pay for the products, they’ll bleed through and be sent home” added classmate Brooklyn Harris.

A lot of the students at Tahoma high school use cash or credit. It causes an inconvenience when students have to dig through their backpack for quarters when most students don’t keep quarters on them.

“It would be so cool if we could raise awareness for especially high school menstruators about menstrual cups because they are so much more affordable and they last longer and it’s a little bit of a pain to get used to but, that I think would help long term with a lot of the financial cost so we can help make that accessible for so much more young people.” said Mrs. Ledford. 

Why is this important? The students at this school who experience periods should not have to look for a quarter and pay for something that should be free. A lot of the students at our school have probably had at least 1 accident at our school regarding periods and not having the proper supplies to take care of it, especially in embarrassing situations.

If you are interested in reading the rest of the interview, keep scrolling!

This is the interview Brylee Gianacakos and Amira Ahmed had with Mrs Ledford regarding the pad and tampon dispensers.

Amira: Would you mind if I record this for review?

Mrs Ledford: Go for it!

Amira: Please state your name.

Mrs Ledford: Hillary Ledford.

Amira: I’m Amira and that’s Brylee and we are writing this article on behalf of the female student body and hoping to make a difference and spread awareness. 

Brylee: Do you think that teachers having pads/tampons with them to provide for students helps or makes it easier to deal with during school? 

Mrs Ledford: Absolutely, that way they don’t have to make a whole trip to the nurse or introduce themselves to someone they don’t really know.

Brylee: If staff are allowed to hand out the products to students who need them and the students don’t need to pay for them, why do you think students need to pay for them in the machines in bathrooms or locker rooms? 

Mrs Ledford: The ones that I have I bought with my own money and so all the teachers I think that have their own I think that we’ve all probably done the same thing we’ve just spent some of our own money to do it so it’s more kind of like a gift verses like the school has to buy it from somewhere. 

Brylee: In my personal opinion I think that having to pay for pads and tampons in school makes it less accessible, would you agree with that or disagree? Why do you feel that way? 

Mrs Ledford: I definitely agree, I think we should subsidize menstrual products for all people and so it’s one of those required things there’s different forms you find something that works for you and your body but definitely it does it makes it harder for people who have less money to have a good calm hygienic experience when they’re on their period.

Brylee: So the last question that I’m asking is: If you were to change the accessibility to period products in our school how would you do that? 

Mrs Ledford: I would LOVE if we could get a grant or something to help pay for menstrual products and also to get more of them in a lot of the gender neutral bathrooms as well cause we don’t just have female students on their periods we have trans and non-binary students on their periods too and it would make it easier for them to get access to those materials as well. 

Amira: Do you carry pads or tampons with you or have them in your class? 

Mrs ledford: Yeah right now i’m only down to some tampons but i have a bin by the door and students know they can just kinda help themselves on their way out it’s kind of my like first day classroom tour and I show them where it is right near the bathroom pass.

Amira: Do students ever come to you specifically to ask for a pad/tampon instead of using the dispenser? 

Mrs Ledford: Yes, so i’ve had students and former students come back or friends of former students that will come in and say “hey i heard you have tampons” “I heard you have stuff” or ask me cause they know I basically have everything that they need and so yeah i’ve had tons of students come and grab their supplies.

Amira: Do you think that teachers having a bin with the products in it near the door or on their desk would make students feel more or less comfortable? 

Mrs Ledford: Absolutely, yeah I know a lot of students are just glad they can take care of what they need, get back to the classroom, and not have to worry about bleeding through. so having it where they can just discreetly grab it without anyone noticing because some people still get really embarrassed by it so I definitely think that helps.

Amira: Do you have any additional things you would like to add or say regarding this topic? Any questions? 

Mrs Ledford : it would be so cool if we could raise awareness for especially high school menstruators about menstrual cups because they are so much more affordable and they last longer and it’s a little bit of a pain to get used to but like that I think would help long term with a lot of the financial cost and if we could get somehow like a grant or something to get a donation of supply’s so we can help make that accessible for so much more young people i think that would be pretty cool.