Manitou Springs High School installed free period product dispensers for students in the bathrooms at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. 

On June 5, Colorado passed the law HB24-1164. This law requires all schools in Colorado to provide free menstrual products to the students. 

In 2021, Lana Kahtava (12) and her friends tried to start putting free period products in the bathrooms because they realized that it was an issue that needed to be addressed. They worked with Principal Conrad to implement this in the school bathrooms. “So some of it was going from our own pockets, and we just really wanted to help people around the school, because we all had different issues; and I feel like a lot of different women could relate to our issues,” Kahtava said.

This new addition to the school makes menstrual products more accessible to the students as well as making it more comfortable. “I think that it’s a great way to make people feel more comfortable and make people feel supported,” Conrad said.

Having the free period products in restrooms makes it easier for students, so they don’t have to ask around for some and avoid the embarrassment. “It helps people feel more comfortable, especially regarding those kinds of situations where, maybe you’ll need one, or maybe someone you know needs one,” Brooke Ferguson (11) said. “It makes it a lot easier for students to get help without necessarily having to confront the embarrassment or awkwardness that comes with a lot of those situations.”

Conrad believes free menstrual products are important to have in schools because periods are a part of life, and it is important that people address it. “I mean, health is part of life, and it’s a good thing to have what we need to be able to address it,” Conrad said.