Debate over Student Access to Tampons Heats Up Shasta County Board of Education
A routine facilities policy update by the SCOE Board reflects state law passed in response to data showing girls are beginning to menstruate at younger ages.
11.20.24 7:30 pm: We have updated the story to correct Gorman’s role in the local chapter of Moms for Liberty.
Should menstrual products be more widely available in public school bathrooms? Shasta County Office of Education (SCOE) Board members discussed the issue on November 13, as part of a routine facilities policy update process.
The wording of the policy needed to be changed in order to comply with California’s Menstruation Equity for All Act, which went into effect in 2024. That law requires facilities to provide menstrual products in all girls’ bathrooms, and at least one boys’ bathroom, in all California schools that teach “any combination of classes from grades 3 to 12, inclusive.”
The update to state law to ensure access to menstrual products for younger students is consistent with science that shows that the average age that menstruation begins today is markedly younger than in previous generations–especially among impoverished communities.
In 2022, a first iteration of the law required menstrual supplies in girls’ bathrooms, gender-neutral bathrooms, and at least one boys’ bathroom in all schools serving students in grades 6-12. Since that time the three schools that SCOE administers (Juvenile Court, Excel Academy, and Independent Study) have already been providing menstrual products as required, since all three schools include grades between 6-12.
Accordingly, the Board’s recent vote was not held to change practice at SCOE schools, but instead to update written policy to match both current SCOE school practice and state law.
The Board eventually voted to do so, approving the facilities policies change 6 to 1. The single dissenting vote came from Board member Authur Gorman, who expressed concerns about the potential liability of providing tampon access to younger students.
Gorman warned his fellow SCOE Board members that younger students might flush the products down toilets, breaking pipes and incurring pricey repairs. He also suggested that a school could be held liable if it provided tampons without educating students on how to use them.
“As a nurse, I see a lot of UTIs and toxic shock syndrome in girls who don’t understand the proper use of a tampon or pad,” Gorman claimed.
To Gorman’s point, California has only recently enacted AB 2229, which requires school districts to begin providing comprehensive education on menstruation, but only to students in grades 7 through 12 – not the younger students who also have access to menstrual products in school under state law.
But Tom Gauthier, an attorney with Lozano Smith who represents SCOE, seemed unconcerned by the potential for increased liability, telling the Board that “schools have a liability for misuse of a variety of things by students.”
Or, as Board member Cindy Vogt more succinctly put it: “kids also get stabbed with sharp pencils.”
Kaitlyn Wendlan, a student Board member and senior at Shasta High School also weighed in indicating that there are often no menstrual products in the bathrooms to begin with–but students always have the option to see a nurse to find supplies.
Acknowledging that he’s “not a student”, Gorman asked Wendlan if it would then make sense for students to just see the nurse for menstrual supplies every time they’re needed.
Vogt interjected, explaining to Gorman the value of making sure supplies are close at hand when needs arise.
“Sometimes,” Vogt explained, “you don’t know whether you’ll need that product before you go to the bathroom.”
The back-and-forth prompted a more definitive stand by Board member Amy Cavalleri, who said the conversation was “getting into the weeds of implementation.”
“The reality is,” Cavalleri emphasized, “this is a requirement from the state.”
Gorman pushed back, claiming that SCOE Board members can refuse to implement state laws.
“We are at the equal playing field as the governor when we’re in this room,” Gorman claimed, “We can approve or disapprove anything, whether it’s a state regulation or mandate.”
He did not provide evidence for how a County school board would legally supersede the authority of state education law.
While Gorman did not bring up concerns about providing menstrual products in boys bathrooms, he’s the secretary for the local chapter of Moms For Liberty (M4L) which has scrutinized schools that installed tampon dispensers in boys’ bathrooms. That controversy did not come up during Board discussion but did strike a nerve with two community members.
During SCOE’s public comment period, self-described photojournalist Lori Bridgeford called the provision “laughable,” saying that “this is unreal for the young boys to see this.” In the event that trans students using a boys’ bathroom would need access to menstrual products, she said, “I would think that their parents or foster parents, or whoever is raising them would provide them.”
One day later, Supervisor Kevin Crye also brought up the menstrual products policy as part of his supervisor report to the Shasta County Board, saying that he had attended the SCOE Board meeting the previous day, before criticizing the facilities policy update.
“I went to SCOE yesterday and spoke at a public comment … I really struggle [with them passing] six to one to put tampons in third grade boys’ bathrooms,” Crye told the chamber, prompting audible “wows” from some in the audience.
“I have a seventh grade son … I can’t imagine having some of those conversations with my son in third grade,” Crye said, explaining that he had previously “waited until late fifth or early sixth grade to have” such discussions with his kids.
While Crye did attend the SCOE meeting, he did not actually comment on the issue of menstrual products during that meeting, focusing instead on his discontent with SCOE over an alleged lack of cooperation when it comes to using opioid funds.
Beyond the County level, some high-profile political commentators have also scrutinized similar policies over the last year. Stephen Miller, President-Elect Donald Trump’s choice for Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, has disparagingly referred to Governor Tim Walz as “Tampon Tim” in response to his implementation of free menstrual products in Minnesota public schools.
Advocates like the Alliance for Period Supplies cite several figures as to why expanded access to free menstrual products is necessary, in addition to the baseline fact that 50% of the population could benefit from such legislation. According to a 2021 study, two in five people have struggled to purchase menstrual products and 38% of low-income women reported having missed work or school due to lack of period supplies.
And while increased tampon access has been associated by some with the actions of “radical liberals,” Trump has at times supported it. In 2018, he signed into law the First Steps Act, a prison reform bill that mandates menstrual product access in federal prisons and prohibits the use of restraints on pregnant inmates giving birth.
The movement to democratize access to menstrual products has gained traction in recent years. Scotland is the first country to offer free menstrual products nationally, and New Zealand and Kenya offer period supplies in all public schools. Meanwhile in the richest country in the world, there are only ten states that legally require schools to provide free menstrual products: California, Oregon, New York, Maryland, Ohio, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Simple solution….put them in girls bathrooms and gender neutral bathrooms. They don’t need to be in boys bathrooms.
LOL! The vim and vigor by which these folks wail and gnash their teeth is just downright comical!
Here are the facts (scary, I know!):
1. If you have a uterus you menstruate. I know we have the “option” to ignore laws, but biology is a little less accommodating.
2. Whether your evil, anti-human religions allow it or not, trans people exist. As such, a mere tampon available in the restroom might just be a small glimmer of hope for an already beat down trans boy.
3. They’re tampon dispensers! Literally cardboard and cotton. I don’t think the schools are gonna offer top of the line Tampax Pearls in your choice of color! No, government issue is the brand. So how much can that cost? I tell you what, I bet it costs next to nothing and the dignity it will offer is priceless.
The reality is private propaganda schools exist, if your dark religions and draconian ideals dictate that public schools are the devil, then send your kids there, or better yet, homeschool! Ah! But who has the time and patience for that?
Honestly, would we even be having this conversation if it was an ammo dispenser? Probably not. /Shrug
Religion takes things on faith regardless of reason – and that’s precisely what woke dogma is doing here with tampons in boys rooms. Are urinals in girls bathrooms next?
There is a REASON men’s volleyball nets are 7.5 inches taller than women’s. Likewise there is a reason 11 out of 18 women on San Jose State’s volleyball team are suing over the inclusion of a non-woman on the roster – the same reason 100 women forfeited their games against SJSU.
Acknowledging reality isn’t bigotry. Failing to acknowledge reality is a mental illness.
I mean, I’ve seen trans people with my own eyes they’re here, literally, in flesh and blood on this mortal realm. I served the fundamentalist Christian “God” for 35 years faithfully but never saw him? I dunno, don’t need faith to know trans kids are killing themselves and running away from home from bigoted small-minded parents who wish to control not love them. But that’s fine I guess? God is good, all the time!
In the end times we were warned evil would become good and good would become evil. Any faith or belief that’s cool with the suffering of kids or their untimely demises is no faith I wanna be around! Keep that outta the schools please!
“Dear heavenly Father, save us from your followers so that this earth may know peace and light again. Amen!”
I can accept that trans people exist and that they have a profound dysphoria over their gender.
I do not accept that a biological male can become a biological female (or vice versa) – science ain’t there yet. And school classifications for bathrooms and sports are based on sex, not gender.
PS: I’m an atheist so save the blaspheming for someone who gives a damn.
Wow that’s like a reply to me except you are replying to someone else.
Some people are born with both sexes. Period. It’s science.
And although they may be the minority they do exist.
So congratulations on being the independent thinking person that you think you are being.
Intersex is a biological categorization, transgender is a psychological one.
Should we encourage people with other forms of body dysmorphia, like anorexia, to ignore reality and reinforce their delusions?
So are you saying there’s no such thing as people that are born with both sexes? If you’re saying there’s no such thing, then who is not accepting reality?
Hate to break it to you, but even though they’re in the minority, there is such a thing.
I’m a fiscal conservative, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s to accept the truth even if I don’t like it.
And also news flash, if you’re finding the truth only a long political lines, then gosh darn it, it’s not the truth.
So maybe this truth is uncomfortable, but guess what? That is often the case with the truth.
If you really do believe in religion and God and the devil, well the devil would really rather you believe in comfortable lies disguised as “truth”.
But hey man, red herrings.
True about Gorman Frank. Some people just want us to go back to the 50s/60s where a lot of girls didn’t have any idea what was happening to their bodies when they started to menstruate. I can still remember one poor girl in 5th grade that started during lunch break. She got up and her skirt had a big stain in the back. Luckily, a teacher was near and put a jacket around her and called her parents to bring a change of clothes and some pads. (She went home anyway and didn’t come back for a week.) Perfect situation would be for parents to educate their daughters/sons about changes that happen during puberty. Pads in restrooms will open up an opportunity for discussion at home, hopefully.
For those who say Tampons and other coming of age products are ‘icky’…I say, pity you and your children, and grand children, when they have a moment of ‘what is that’ and have to talk to their friends, or school nurse for medical attention because they weren’t given menstruation education by their unwilling parents.
And yes, Trans males need Tampons as well until their hormones are in balance. But, then you who are in the world that says Trans persons just don’t exist won’t want to hear this. Arthur Gorman, please find another profession, you are a betrayal of being a Nurse.
Well said. I am also a nurse. Toxic shock is not common. Tampons are way more comfortable than pads. I would not expect a young girl to use tampons. However they may prefer to use both. I did.
It’s parental responsibilty to teach children and to provide protection on these issues.
That’s pretty much how we end up with pregnant 13 year olds.
Elizabeth: We provide food at schools, why not menstrual products? Both are necessities.
To Bio females only!
I am starting to think that the people with brains have all left the sick state of Mexifornia. These idiots do not deserve to even be in office let alone vote on things that are so stupid. Tampons in boys restrooms; are you kidding me? What a deterioration our state has undergone under the leadership of the democratic party. God help us all. News is still loose.
Boys don’t menstruate. Girls who are struggling with mental illness can go to nurse for supplies. Is the State providing funding these supplies? Parents decide when to educate their children about sexuality, not the government.
Len: Menstruation is a normal bodily function whether one is sexually active, mentally ill or not.
I looked up what percent of our population is transgender. I read several articles. The average of transgender people in our country is 1.1% I do not get why this tampon thing is an issue. We do not need tampons in boys bathrooms. Insanity, pure and simple.
Install pads, not tampons. Young girls will not know how to use them and they can cause big problems. Boys will be creeped out by their presence and will just destroy them. No boys need tampons. A waste of taxpayer dollars to install theae in boys bathrooms.
Nancy: Or we could educate all kids about menstruation, a normal human process. Just a thought.
What a concept.
Nancy, I was one of the early starters. Thanks to our school having “hygienic” education, I knew what was happening and was prepared. And yes, I used tampons. BTW, I’m 65. This was the education I received in a local grade school in the late 60s/early 70s. We had a tampon/napkin dispenser in all the girls bathrooms.
I can’t believe how far backward we’ve gone.
Bel: great to hear that you had dispensers in the 60’s and 70’s! Was this in California?
The law is the law. If the concern is that 3rd grade boys “shouldn’t” be aware of Menstruation, I’d like to know why. If girls are starting their periods at a younger age, then shouldn’t boys also be taught? I thought men came first in this world.
All joking aside, if pro-life individuals and organizations want to stop abortion, it’s easiest to stop accidental pregnancies. If we don’t ensure sex education as soon as pregnancies are possible, then we’re already failing. That starts with all kids understanding things like Menstruation.
It’s one thing to teach about it. That’s fine. But why in the world would you put them in a boy’s bathroom?
Kelly: I’ve asked guys to grab me one from their bathroom when the women’s was out.
Maybe put two in the girls then? Instead of wasting one in a boys bathrooms, as boys don’t menstruate.
Why not? What can it hurt. Anyone can go to a store and by said products. There is no age or gender requirements. I am pretty sure most kids see tampons in stores.
Because the ruling political class in California feels that biological categorizations like “sex” either aren’t real or do not matter. In their mandated propaganda, the mind’s perception of one’s own sex – aka “gender” – trumps any inconsequential biological differences like menstruation or testosterone.
Mr. Darwash. Interesting how MAGA attacks Progressives on advocating no sexism in society or our schools. Meanwhile Linda McMahon, the adjudicated rapist’s choice for education secretary, is accused in a recent lawsuit of helping World Wrestling Entertainment groom and sexually abuse children.
Thank you, Mr. Kallepalli, for the detailed report.
“I went to SCOE yesterday and spoke at a public comment … I really struggle [with them passing] six to one to put tampons in third-grade boys’ bathrooms.” This was followed by “Crye did attend the SCOE meeting; he did not actually comment on the issue of menstrual products during that meeting.” Crye is learning. He’s just about as good as a layer as his puppet masters, Jones and Trump. But truth doesn’t matter if it’s not in service to MAGA.
Mr. Crye needs to get off his MAGA “Tampon Tim” hobby horse. Yes, he does have a son. But Mr. Crye, tell us this: You also have a couple of daughters. Please let us know how you, your wife, and your daughters would feel if your daughters had to experience ministerial period embarrassment as young girls in a public school system because they didn’t have access to feminine hygiene products. But here’s an idea you might endorse.
Females need to be embarrassed and shamed, right? After all, your political ideology is MAGA, you know, “Your body, my choice?” Females need to learn their place in society, and as your political leader is an adjudicated rapist, your job is to support MAGA and superimpose MAGA’s demand of misogyny and subservience of the male over female on all of Shasta County, right? And what better place to learn this than a public school?
Mr. Gorman’s stupidity is embarrassing. Gorman states citizens can refuse to follow state laws if they are not in service to MAGA, a typical local R.W.B. B.S. Maybe Gorman should be reported to the Board of Registered Nursing, established by law to protect the public and regulate the practice of registered nurses. As a hard-core election denier – white nationalist militia member “Health Professional” demanding the refusal of feminine hygiene in schools and advocating the abolishment of COVID vaccines, his MAGA activism could be seen as an example of violating Nonmaleficence, the obligation of a Health Care profession not to harm the patient. Simply stated, this is an obligation not to violate moral rules − do not kill, do not cause pain or suffering, do not incapacitate, do not cause offense, and do not deprive others of the goods of life. Mr. Gorman, take your Tampon Tim nonsense to some other county if you please.
When will we learn that democracy, Safe and Sane governance, equality and justice for all are under attack? When will we say we have had enough? It’s going to be a long 4 years.
Best answer, I 100% agree on everything, especially about Crye and Gorman! Thank you!
I am 85 years old and have never seen such insanity…FIRST THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TRANSGENDER OR GENDER CHOICE…we had no problem with EVER getting our menstrual products at school AND THEY SURE AS HELL WERE NOT FOUND IN THE BOYS BATHROOM…
THANK YOU MR. GORMAN FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE MENTALLY ILL DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE.
They need to read the 12 Rules For Radicals and The 48 Goals of Communist, which both can be found on my website: voicesoflibertypostcards.com you can also find the Constitution and Bill of Rights AND much, much more.
Marilyn: You had menstrual products at school in the 50’s? From what I’ve read they weren’t offered at all until the 2000’s and not required in any state until 2018. Many states still don’t have laws requiring that they’re provided. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/more-states-call-on-schools-to-provide-period-products-but-many-dont-fund-mandates/2023/06
It’s been a longggg four years with obiden and his company!
If a person younger than 10 needs some sanity products then they can go to the nurse just like we all did in the good old days.
Like Mr. Gorman stated, kids under the age of 10 are gonna get those things and flush them down the toilet causing lots of plumbing problems. I know this cause I taught school and boys were taking rolls of toilet paper and shoving them down the toilet. Now they’ve taken rolls out and provide just little sheets of paper for wiping.
Your insults toward the MAGA people is disgusting…President Trump not only took the presidency, but all of congress. The people have spoken and we are done with the leftist bs.
Enjoy your next four years, I’m
positive it’ll be peaceful and prosperous!