Many female students have expressed concern that the tampon dispensers in the bathroom are never filled.

The fact is, emergencies happen, and not everyone is prepared all the time. Having the tampon dispensers filled at all times is crucial. It is more than common for female students to have to text their friends for supplies or for help in the bathroom.

Originally, the school was supposed to supply bathrooms with tampons, but because of budget problems in the past they stopped filling the dispensers, according to Enrico Galang, Head Custodian at SJHHS.

If female students get their period during school hours and are unprepared at the time, they have the option to go to the nurse’s office to get a free tampon or pad.

However, there is no sign in the bathroom saying you can get a tampon in the office, so not a lot of girls even know about that. When the nurse is in stock, there are only regular and light tampons, along with pads. But nothing to protect a super heavy flow, and they do run out occasionally.

The saying, “You gotta go when you gotta go,” applies to periods too. You get your period when you get your period, and being able to access a tampon in the bathroom is not only cleaner than walking up to the nurse’s office, but it saves time too.

Girls are taught to be prepared 24/7, and while that is a smart thing to do, it’s not always realistic. Teen girls’ cycles are often irregular and it is hard for them to predict exactly when their period will come, and being unprepared is a nightmare that no one should have to experience.

Having a period is a normal thing, and whether we like to admit it or not, it is still such a stigmatized subject in today’s society and a lot of girls feel uncomfortable having to get a tampon, or asking a stranger for one. That’s why the school should be providing girls with fully stocked tampon dispensers and free tampons and pads in the nurse’s office, just in case.

If you’re a lady in need of a tampon at school, for now your only option is to go to the nurse’s office, but hopefully that will change in the future.