Current:Home > FinanceNew Jersey to require free period products in schools for grades 6 through 12 -Horizon Finance School
New Jersey to require free period products in schools for grades 6 through 12
Algosensey View
Date:2025-04-10 13:53:38
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey will require school districts to offer free menstrual products for grades six through 12 under a new law Gov. Phil Murphy signed Wednesday.
Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement that the measure is aimed at promoting equity “at every level” in the state.
“When students can’t access the menstrual products they need for their reproductive health, the potential stress and stigma too often distracts them from their classes or forces them to skip school entirely,” he said.
Under the bill, school districts are required to ensure that students in schools with students from grade six through 12 have access to free menstrual products in at least half of the female and gender-neutral bathrooms.
The state will bear any costs incurred by schools under the legislation. The legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services estimated the requirement will cost between $1.8 million and $3.5 million for the first full school year and from $1.4 million to $2.9 million in subsequent years. The cost is a fraction of the state’s $54.3 billion budget.
The requirement will affect about 1,400 schools. Total enrollment of female students in grades six through 12 in these schools approximated 354,497, according to the Legislature.
New Jersey joins at least 10 other states and the District of Columbia that have established or expanded requirements for free menstrual products in schools since 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Among the states that passed similar measures recently include Alabama, Delaware and Utah.
The bill passed the Democrat-led Legislature nearly unanimously, with only one “no” vote.
“Menstrual hygiene products are a necessity, not a luxury. When this becomes an obstacle and decisions are made to not attend school, the loss is greater than just the one day,” Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz said.
veryGood! (7328)
Related
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- 'All systems go': Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan will run in the Preakness Stakes
- Sam Rubin, longtime KTLA news anchor who interviewed the stars, dies at 64: 'Unthinkable'
- Marc Benioff lunch auction raises $1.5M for charity. Not bad for first year without Warren Buffett
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Taylor Swift may attract more U.S. luxury travelers to Paris for Eras Tour than Olympics
- Northern lights on full display across US, Europe on Friday: See photos
- Family of bears take a swim, cool off in pool of Southern California home: Watch video
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Commuter rail service in northeast Spain has been disrupted by theft of copper cables near Barcelona
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Putin in Cabinet shakeup moves to replace defense minister as he starts his 5th term in office
- Vermont Legislature adjourns session focused on property taxes, housing, climate change
- MLS rivalries renew in Hell is Real Derby and Cascadia Cup; Lionel Messi goes to Montreal
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Reports: Police officer was shot and killed in Ohio after being ambushed
- Pioneering Financial Innovation: Wilbur Clark and the Ascendance of the FB Finance Institute
- Mitchell has 33 points, but Cavaliers can’t contain Tatum and Brown in Game 3 loss to Celtics
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Connecticut Democrats unanimously nominate U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy for a third term
The Daily Money: Mom wants a Mother's Day gift
Blinken delivers some of the strongest US public criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
What is Eurovision? Everything to know about the European song contest
JoJo Siwa's Massive Transformations Earn Her a Spot at the Top of the Pyramid
Toddler born deaf can hear after gene therapy trial breakthrough her parents call mind-blowing