Date of Publication
1-29-2025
Abstract
Background: Lack of menstrual product access forces female students, particularly trans and non-binary students, to face social and emotional distress, possibly resulting in educational gaps. Vermont’s recent legislature (Title 16: Education Chapter 031) designated menstrual products to be accessible in both women's and gender-neutral bathrooms at no cost; schools are responsible for cost, and school nurses primarily handle implementation. Methods: We conducted a literature review and interviewed two Vermont school staff members involved in implementation. We then surveyed Vermont school nurses to assess their experiences with implementing period product access in compliance with the legislation. Frequencies and chi-squared tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Among 89 school nurses (93% female, 64% aged 40-59), 66% were aware of the original Vermont legislation, primarily through the Vermont State School Nurses Association (58%). Awareness of the initial Vermont legislation is significantly associated with the presence of products in any bathrooms (p<0.01). Of those aware, 66% also knew of the legislative update mandating products in gender-neutral bathrooms, with a strong association between awareness and availability in these spaces (p<0.001). Facilitators for providing products include school budget (62%), staff support (56%), classroom discussions (49%), and working with facilities (45%). Barriers include lack of funding (41%) with some nurses relying on community donations (23%) or purchases out of pocket (17%) to sustain access. Product misuse (21%) and improper disposal (7%) were also noted as areas of concern. Conclusion: Legislation implementation has been hindered by awareness and funding. Additional efforts to raise awareness are recommended.
Advisor(s)
Elizabeth Woods, PhD
Larner College of Medicine
Nancy Kaplan, MS
Vermont Commission on Women
Agency
Vermont Commission on Women
Subjects
Women, Adolescents, Schools, Health Policy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Recommended Citation
Puthumana, Rhea; Baptiste, Claire; Nikkhoy, Nicki; Hurley, Julia; Howie, Mikayla; Bau, Kimberly; Kilas, Sulekha; and Kaplan, Nancy MS, "Barriers and Facilitators to Improving Free Menstrual Product Distribution in Vermont Schools Post-Legislation" (2025). Public Health Projects, 2008-present. 325.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/325
