After the vandalism and destruction of a period products dispenser in a boys restroom at Brookfield High School, some state officials said all students, regardless of their gender identity, deserve to have access to free menstrual products as a matter of kindness and respect, as well as convenience and financial need.

"It's important to develop a sense of empathy and respect for fellow human beings. That should start at home, and if it's not at home, it should start in schools," said state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor.

The dispenser was placed at Brookfield High in response to a new state law, which Anwar supported when it was introduced in 2020.

An unspecified number of students were disciplined for tearing down the dispenser within about 20 minutes of its installation Jan. 24, according to Brookfield school officials.

The law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, 2024, requires public school districts to "provide free menstrual products ... in women's restrooms, all-gender restrooms and at least one men's restroom ... accessible to students in grades 3 to 12 ... and in a manner that does not stigmatize any student seeking such products."

"The laws are written for the majority but should also always include individuals who are not in the majority. As lawmakers, we have to be intentional about inclusivity," said Anwar, who is also a medical doctor and represents East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, and South Windsor.

"It is important to recognize ... there are community members who are transgender, and we want to be supportive of the individuals who have menstrual cycles or who may identify themselves of a male gender," he said

In an email sent to the school community, Brookfield High Principal Marc Balanda said he was "disgusted" and "dismayed" by the incident, calling it an "egregious instance of vandalism and destruction of property."

Connecticut's new law aims to provide period products free and more easily accessible to everyone who needs them.

The law had been scheduled to go into effect Sept. 1, 2023, but the date was changed to Sept. 1, 2024, with the June 2023 passing of Public Act No. 23-160.

Brookfield High School won't reinstall the tampon dispenser in a boys bathroom immediately, Brookfield Schools Superintendent John Barile said Monday.

"We are not moving forward at this time due to ... the clarification on the law's implementation timeline," he said.

The law does not specify that schools must install dispensers at all, said Jennifer Tolman, president and chief operating officer of Dignity Grows, a Hartford-based national organization and advocacy group for those who need menstrual supplies.

"Dispensers can be very costly for a school to install and they are not required by the law," said Tolman. "The products can be in a disposable cardboard container or in a generic plastic container. It's not required that an expensive dispenser be installed on the wall."

Dignity Grows was involved in sculpting the Connecticut menstrual equity bill. "We were represented on the committee that first put together the bill and then saw it through into law," she said.

Convenience, financial need

While state Sen. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield and a member of the General Assembly's Education Committee, and state Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, say that making menstrual products available in boys bathrooms isn't helpful to educating students, others strongly support the new law.

"It's unfortunate that because of reasons that I'm not fully able to understand, many of my colleagues are creating somewhat of a hysteria around the trans community," Anwar said. "We have far bigger issues to address. ... We should be putting our heads together and working on other important issues while we are providing support to everyone who is different from the majority, in any shape or form."

State Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, who also voted for the new law, said "students shouldn't have to sacrifice their time in the classroom to obtain access to menstrual products."

She said she was first made aware of the need several years ago by students in a civics class at Ledyard High School, who told her that free and easy access to menstrual products "was a problem in their daily life."

She said, "They didn't have access to it at the school. ... They actually timed it — to get from some of the classrooms to the nurse's office if the door was closed, and then to the main office and then waiting for assistance, they were out of class for more than 10 minutes — just trying to get a menstrual product," she added.

She also addressed the need for menstrual products in boys bathrooms. "A student can be a variety of different biological, intersex conditions where that student uses the boys room but may have a period," Conley said. "They should be provided with the same access as anyone else who has a period."

After the vandalism incident, Conley said the Brookfield High School "wouldn't be a safe place" for students who need period products to come forward.

Tolman, from Dignity Grows, said students from families who are struggling to put food on the table often rely on obtaining free menstrual products at school. Some students experience "period poverty," which, she said, is a lack of access to basic menstrual supplies due to financial constraints.

"The intersection between food insecurity and period poverty is strong," Tolman said. "We find that families who are struggling to afford basic household needs such as food typically always place priority on food and household needs above hygiene needs."