RI Lawmakers Approve Free Feminine Hygiene Products In Schools

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island legislature passed a bill Friday that requires public school to offer feminine hygiene products to students for free, the Associated Press reported.

If Gov. Daniel McKee signs the bill into law, all public schools in Rhode Island, starting in the 2022-23 school year, will have to make feminine hygiene products available in all women's and gender-neutral bathrooms.

"We all know how necessary feminine hygiene products are, but what many people do not realize, and I see this as a long time educator, is that a lack of access to these products can cause students to miss crucial school days," said bill sponsor Sen. Valarie Lawson (D-East Providence). "These products are a daily necessity to so many students and just as schools provide toilet paper for the bathrooms, these products should also be readily accessible for our students in need."

For more on this story, read the Associated Press.