WINDSOR ESSEX CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
First free menstrual product dispenser installed

Students going to the office to ask for feminine hygiene products will soon be a thing of the past in WECDSB schools.

"My friends are elated to know that our school board is going to be supporting our students that menstruate and showing that they care," Student Trustee Jada Malott said the first dispenser of free products was installed in a washroom at St. Joseph's Catholic High School on Wednesday morning. "In a situation where you don't have access to a product, or a situation where it's an emergency and you need a product now, you don't have to leave the bathroom anymore."

Along with Trustee Kim Bouchard, Malott helped spearhead an initiative to have feminine hygiene products installed in all WECDSB schools. Last year, the board of trustees approved a motion to investigate the installation of dispensers that provide free pads and tampons for all students who need them. This year, they received another information report outlining the board's installation strategy.

Several months after the board approved its original motion, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced that it would be providing dispensers and free products for all of the province's high schools.

Between the dispensers provided by the province and the ones purchased by the board, it's expected that all secondary and elementary schools should have dispensers installed by the end of June.

"It's very exciting to see this is happening," Bouchard said. "Menstrual products are a necessity, not a luxury, and I'm very proud of the fact that our board recognized that."