Two years after Utah lawmakers mandated that all public schools in the state provide students with free period products, students who use them are missing class less often and feeling more confident.
That’s according to a recent survey of Utah high schoolers conducted by The Period Project. Organizers behind the initiative, born out of Utah-based nonprofit The Policy Project, were instrumental in getting HB162 passed in 2022. Gov. Spencer Cox later expanded the requirement to include state buildings.
“The purpose of putting period products in schools was not to replace students’ main source of period products,” said Brooke Gledhill Wood, the Policy Project’s chief of staff, during a webinar last week about the survey, “but really to be there in times of emergency, or when they forgot products or started unexpectedly.”
The survey focused on high schoolers, though the requirement applies to all grades. Roughly 1,440 anonymous high school students across 20 of Utah’s 29 counties responded. Collectively, they represented 120 schools.
The nine-question survey aimed to evaluate if HB162 achieved its two primary goals: improving educational outcomes by increasing productivity and school attendance among students who have periods; and destigmatizing menstruation through normalized access to period products.
Overall, the survey suggests that the law has been successful on those fronts, but students did voice concerns and requests about the quality of the period products provided.
What students are saying
Over half of the students surveyed reported missing school in the past because they couldn’t access period products when needed.
However, 49% stated they were able to attend school on days they would have otherwise missed because period products were now freely available.
As Gledhill Wood pointed out, the products are typically used in unexpected or emergency situations, the survey suggests. Most high schoolers who responded said they only use the products one or two times per year.
A few, roughly 8%, said they use the products every month — an indicator that they may not be able to regularly afford pads and tampons, which was a chief concern among Period Project organizers.
Many students expressed relief just knowing the products are available, the report showed.
Regarding the stigma around menstruation, about 76% of the students said they feel like their comfort level around discussing periods has increased over the last 18 months. And 40% reported that they believe this comfort level has increased because they have access to period products at school.
The survey also showed, however, that at least 30% of high schoolers find the free cardboard tampon applicators that are often supplied in schools uncomfortable and harder to use. The comments came in response to an open-ended question about students’ experiences with the provided products.
“The cardboard ones are PAINFUL,” one student wrote. “They are not helpful. Most of the time when there are period products in the bathroom, most girls choose not to use them due to discomfort.”
More than half of the students surveyed did say that they have used the pads and tampons available at their schools, but 40% said they hadn’t.
Students interested in more period product options
Cardboard tampon applicators are typically more rigid than plastic applicators and can cause pain for some users. While the tampons placed in Utah schools have rounded tips (which can help with insertion), some high schoolers still perceive the cardboard material as “low quality,” Gledhill Wood said. They also typically cost less than plastic applicators.
“As it turns out, our respondents are not big fans of cardboard tampons,” Gledhill Wood during the webinar. “They would much prefer plastic tampons, and that is maybe a reason that they would choose not to use the period products.”
Some students also expressed a desire for a wider array of tampon and pad options to accommodate heavier and lighter flows.
The products currently provided are funded through a $2.3 million appropriation by the Utah Legislature. Districts have until July 2025 to absorb the costs, which could mean more affordable products will continue to be provided for the foreseeable future.
In most school districts, the pads and tampons are dispensed through Aunt Flow dispensers, made possible through a $1.2 million donation from the Gail Miller Foundation and the Andrus Family Foundation. The dispensers were installed during the 2022-23 school year. Jordan and Box Elder school districts were the only Utah districts that chose alternative dispensers, the survey stated.
Despite thoughts on tampon quality, 32% of surveyed students said they felt positive about the accessibility of the period products.
“Having access to free period products has allowed so many girls to feel confident attending school during the time of their period, and feel confident they will be able to have the things they need,” one student shared.