Niagara Catholic schools to provide free period products next month

Students in the Niagara Catholic District School Board will soon have access to free menstrual products.

Beginning this May, the board will install 70 sanitary napkin and tampon dispensers at no cost to students to address period poverty in schools.

“There’s so much stigma that surrounds periods that prevents these important conversations from happening, so I am grateful to our board for being open to talking about period poverty,” said Niagara Catholic Student Trustee Sydney Yott.

“Without access to the products that they need to maintain their period, they really have no choice but to resort to other ways to manage their period. The decision by the Board to support all menstruating students will allow them to focus and devote full attention towards their education.”

At a board meeting Tuesday, trustees received this update on their Period Poverty Project campaign, first approved in May 2021 and initiated in September 2021.

The board said there will be 57 machines to dispense sanitary pads and tampons, and 13 sanitary napkin dispensers.

One dispenser will be installed in each Catholic elementary school, alternative school and continuing education school. There will be two in each Catholic high school.

The board said the provincial government will provide the 13 pad dispensers. NCDSB will pay for the remaining dispensers, 114 cases of brand-name tampons and 114 cases of brand-name pads at a cost of approximately $44,250.

The Period Poverty Project initiative was first brought to the board through a notice of motion by trustee Leeanne Prince.