When someone walks into a bathroom at Cherry Hill High School East, they don’t have a doubt in their mind that there will be toilet paper in most of the stalls, as it is a necessity for all students. But when females assigned at birth go into the bathroom, they don’t even think to turn to the white metal dispensers holding two rectangular mustard yellow signs labeled with the word “empty.”

How come when I walk around the bathrooms in school I see a fair amount of dispensers, but they are all empty? No tampons or pads are ever available. But there is a place for me to insert a coin. Why am I paying for something I have no control over? And how come toilet paper is free but not menstrual products when both needs are uncontrollable?

(P.L.2023, c.147): the legislation signed by Governor Murphy on August 23, 2023, requires all New Jersey school districts going into the 2024-2025 school year to provide free-of-charge menstrual products in at least 50% of female and, if existent, gender neutral bathrooms from grades 6 to 12.

East has these metal dispensers for menstrual products in at least 50% of the female bathrooms. However, they definitely aren’t free, hence the silver triangular looking object asking me for a coin. These dispensers
look like they are for show. Why else would they be attached to the wall in more than half of the bathrooms but not actually containing any products?

“Frankly, I’ve never seen one of them filled,” said Brooke Levy (‘26), in regard to the menstrual dispensers. “I don’t even know what they stock it with because I’ve never come across one of them that wasn’t empty.”

For the rare number of students that have actually seen menstrual products in the dispensers, they describe the tampons as cardboard and the pads as non-absorbent and cotton-like.

Roberta Dapi (‘25), co-president of the EmpowHER club (formerly known as Feminist Student Union), expresses her own concerns related to menstrual products at East.

“I know they clean the bathrooms daily, but they aren’t restocking them,” Dapi said. “It should be a priority of theirs, especially if they’re in those bathrooms and see that they’re empty.”

While there is said to be a supply of menstrual products within the nurse’s office, most students at that point would rather ask the people around them — if they’re comfortable — for a product instead of spending the unnecessary time missing class to go down and wait at the nurse’s office.

Many students also feel uncomfortable telling their teacher that they are in need of a menstrual product.

“In the past, it’s come up where I’m in need and I feel comfortable enough to ask a random person in the bathroom if they have one, but not everyone has the same level of comfort with this topic because it’s kind of taboo,” Levy said. “For people who don’t have that comfort or you happen to be in the bathroom alone, there’s nothing you can really do.”

Additionally, there’s the question of what person when going to the bathroom is carrying coins with them. Requiring a coin — whose amount is not specified on the dispenser — adds another layer of difficulty and unfairness when dealing with born-females’ rights to have these products free in their school bathrooms.

There’s the argument that if good-quality menstrual products are provided properly in these dispensers, people who aren’t in need of them will use it to their advantage. However, having sufficient pads and tampons is a necessity, especially for those who can’t afford these products. They don’t need to be top-of-the-line by any means, but we can do better than cardboard tampons.

These dispensers need to be organized in a way where students can easily access menstrual products at their need, or, to make it simpler, provide a box in each bathroom with menstrual products.

I can confidently say that most females as- signed at birth don’t find periods to be a glorifying time; they are something we are accustomed to and make reasonable by using a menstrual product of our choice. We don’t choose to do this; we do it because we need to. We shouldn’t need to choose to bring a coin in our pocket. The products should be provided because we need them.