Schools

It is vital that students have what they need to focus on their education. Providing menstrual products in schools is essential to ensuring a student’s education isn’t negatively impacted because of a lack of supplies. The impacts of these products reach far beyond a single classroom or school campus; research shows that a girl’s preparedness for puberty affects her sexual and reproductive outcomes, as well as her sense of self. A survey of Georgia school nurses, prepared by Georgia STOMP and delivered with the assistance of the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Association of School Nurses, documents that when products aren’t supplied by school systems, nurses and other school staff bear these costs personally. This graphic shows the timeline of funding allocated by the Georgia legislature to address this problem.

Facts
- In 2019 (FY20), $1M was allocated to the DOE to provide “feminine hygiene products” in schools. These funds were decreased (4% statewide cut) to $960,000 before the budget was finalized.
- According to data from the Georgia Department of Education, 97% of the money ($938,362 out of the $960,000) was distributed to schools through their local school districts. A Georgia STOMP survey of Georgia School Nurses revealed that the $960k allocation met only 58.5% of the needs of the schools responding.
- The products purchased with these funds directly impacted students’ ability to participate fully in their education, especially those most vulnerable students from low-income families.
- Amidst COVID, the FY21 funding for these products was slashed to $300,000, at a time when the need for products was exacerbated because of job loss and economic downturn during the pandemic. The Governor restored $420,000 midyear as part of his AFY21 budget, allowing some additional late year purchases to be made.
- During the 2021 legislative session, in light of economic hardships endured by students and their families, the Georgia General Assembly restored and expanded funding for schools in the FY22 Budget to $1.25 M.
- In the 2022 legislative session, Georgia STOMP advocated for expansion of the funding to include 5th graders. Prior to this time, funds had been made available to schools with students in 6th – 12th grades. The legislature agreed and allocated a total of $1.45 M to public schools in Georgia. See the 2023 budget allocations by school districts, HERE.

Prisons

Beginning in 2019, state agency leadership recognized that incarcerated women in Georgia should have access on an “as needed” basis to period products. Subsequently, the Georgia Department of Correction (DOC) instituted a new policy effective 8/19/20. Products are now available pursuant to DOC’s Feminine Hygiene Items Issuance Policy. This change was a welcome step towards Georgia women being treated with dignity and acceptance and greater normalization of the natural, healthy nature of menstruation. Georgia STOMP continues to monitor the implementation of the policy and would like to see the administrative procedure made into law.

With this progress, protections now exist for women in the Federal Bureau of Prison facilities (via First Step Act 2018) and in Georgia Department of Correction facilities.

Surveys of those incarcerated continue to reveal issues in the county and local jails and juvenile justice facilities.

Facts
- Neither the federal law nor the state administrative policy covers period product access in county jails.
- Menstrual products are a medical necessity, not a choice.
- Dignity shouldn’t depend on city or county lines.
- By codifying the state policy and including local jails, those working in criminal justice facilities will have a clear understanding of what products must be made available to inmates.

Situational poverty

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (DPH)

Services and products provided by community health departments are lifelines for Georgians in need. Family finances were devastated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of the pandemic, DPH funding for period products was eliminated. Restoration of funding to local health departments means menstruators in Georgia can get what they need to menstruate with dignity and focus on getting back to daily life, be it work, school or otherwise. Georgia STOMP successfully advocated for funding restoration and $200,000 was returned to the FY22 DPH budget.

Facts
- In 2019 (FY20), $500,000 was allocated to the DPH to provide “feminine hygiene products” through community health departments (CHDs). These funds were decreased (4% statewide cut) to $480,000 before the budget was finalized.
- The money provided products to Georgians in need. Critically, local CHDs were able to work alongside folks in the schools system to ensure that students whose family members might have difficulty affording products could access a 3-month’s supply at a time, assuring availability outside of the school walls and over the summer.
- Ultimately, only $132,446 was spent because of the pandemic and the necessary ‘all hands on deck’ approach taken by DPH to address COVID-19. As a result, this funding was eliminated in the FY21 budget.

GEORGIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND HOMELAND SECURITY AGENCY

In 2019, state agency leadership recognized the need for menstrual products following natural disasters or emergencies and included period products on the list of basic needs that disaster relief funds can be used to purchase. Georgia STOMP was instrumental in this policy decision and Georgia STOMP member organization, Helping Mamas, has since worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security to ensure supply of products during times of crisis.

HOMELESS POPULATION

In 2021, in preparation for more aggressively addressing the needs of those experiencing homelessness, Georgia STOMP member organization, The Dignity Pack Project, undertook an extensive landscape assessment surveying numerous service providers to those without a home in the Atlanta area. We look forward to the results of this research informing Georgia STOMP’s future advocacy efforts.

Our Work

17 Aug 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates Increase Access

Period Product Dispensers Soon Available At Georgia Public Schools!

School doors have opened across the state which is still a shocker to some of us who never started before Labor Day! Returning to the classroom means, for many students, returning to a season of fear, facing questions like: when will my period start, will I have the products I need to attend class or […]

22 Jun 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates Coalition Member News, Increase Access

2023 Georgia Association of School Nurses Convention

Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN) returned to hosting their annual conference this year and Georgia STOMP was on site to enjoy the reunion! This gathering of over 350 school nurses from throughout Georgia is an important educational and connectional event for our state. The conference, held in Savannah, branded with a lighthouse and themed “Restore […]

16 May 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP In The News Increase Access, Public Awareness, Tax Elimination

Georgia Lawmaker and Georgia STOMP Push for Menstrual Equity and Eradication of Period Poverty

On Monday, May 15th, Board Members Claire Cox and Ashlie James joined Rep. Debbie Buckner on the WABE radio show “Closer Look” hosted by Rose Scott to discuss Georgia’s legislative efforts to address Menstrual Equity and eliminate Period Poverty.

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