Menstrual hygiene products will be available to all elementary and secondary students at the York Region District School Board beginning this fall.
The board will install cost-free dispensers in washrooms on each floor in every school, including one female-identified washroom and one gender-neutral washroom, as part of the board’s new Change the Cycle equity program.
“Menstrual products are essential to the health and well-being of people who menstruate, yet they continue to be a stigmatizing topic for youth,” says Director of Education Louise Sirisko, Director of Education. “The inability to afford menstrual products may become a barrier to students’ positive learning experience and healthy growth.”
Student trustee Christine Lin is pleased with the announcement.
“The program addresses the long-standing inequities related to menstrual hygiene that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic,” she says. “I am incredibly pleased that the Board has actively listened, understood and responded to the needs of students.”
Installation of the dispensers will begin this summer and extend into the 2021-2022 school year.
