Skyline High School’s young women who depend on its menstrual products are frustrated with their unavailability.
In July 2022, Utah Bill 162 was passed to mandate free period products in all female and unisex school restrooms. Before this law, Skyline only had paid product dispensers. Students never wanted to or simply couldn’t pay for these, so they often remained full. Now, however, the products are free… if there are any products left to get. The idea itself seems rather contradictory, as the school should be providing easy and accessible feminine hygiene products but instead seems to be finding a loophole around the law.
Many might not be aware of the fact that these products are expensive. Prior to 2018, the annual inflation of these sanitary items was much less than it is now due to the recent tariffs instated by President Donald Trump and other economic variables. Materials like cotton and plastics, which are essential components of menstrual products, were included in the United States Trade Representatives (USTR) published tariff lists, according to the Congressional Research Service.
“I think the pink tax is very real,” says Adalayde Scott, a Senior at Skyline. This has made it increasingly more difficult for young girls and families to afford these prices.
Not only are they pricey, but they’re also very important for women’s physical well-being. Scott says, “Having access to new and clean period products is really important for your health.” Skyline High School is risking the health of their students by not providing sufficient stock.
There are many people who rely heavily on Skyline to provide this for them, and the school is failing its students.
Opinions have varied between students and the administration. Senior students like Isabelle Pitcher have said, “I feel like they intend to restock them, but it just never happens.” Scott adds, “I have seen them pretty frequently empty,” and “Sometimes it does seem like they’re out for a while.”
The administration would like it to be known that there are products available in the main office. However, they don’t account for the embarrassment students might feel getting these products, as well as the inconvenience and lack of privacy. Many students aren’t even aware that this is an option to begin with.
The administration has also given some reasoning as to why the dispensers might be vacant. Vice Principal Heather Sonne says, “If we put very many in, they are inappropriately used.” She explains that the bathrooms are cleaned “a minimum of once a day,” and that’s when the dispensers are also checked and restocked “with a limited amount.”
The strange part is that the interviewed students said that they have seen little to no so-called “vandalism.” It is unlikely that this “damage” is being resolved before being noticed by the student body, because there are more students than custodians. There seems to be conflicting perceptions between the students and administration. This has led some students to the assumption that these statements of misuse might be exaggerated. Scott adds, “I honestly think that sounds like a way to not have to spend more money on period products.”
Alexandra Gruber, a Sophomore, says, “I barely ever see any actual vandalism with the products.” She also describes her frustration with the school limiting products for all of the students when it is only a small number who are actually vandalizing, if at all.
The reality is, high schools have vandalism. No matter the degree or whether it’s ideal or not, teenagers inhabit the building. It is unreasonable for the school to expect that everyone will cooperate and depict a perfect student. So, why take away this right from everyone else? How might this issue be solved?
In the end, whether students are vandalizing or not, girls deserve the right to sanitary products. This should not be ruined for students who actually need them, and they should especially not be punished for their bodily functions. Scott says, “I think it’s really unfair to penalize women for the way they’re born.”
The fact that this article even needs to be written is a statement on its own. Feeling the need to advocate for what you would think is a human right is disheartening. We shouldn’t have to fight for something as vital as this.
What does this say about Skyline? Gruber says, “I think it really reflects how much the school actually cares about its students.”
