Happy Saturday, everyone,
A few years ago my friend Kya was volunteering for the Peace Corps, teaching at a girls' school in Botswana. After a few months, she noticed a problem with absenteeism, directly tied to a lack of menstrual products available to the girls.
Without the necessary supplies, many girls were forced to miss several days of school each month. We held a fundraiser to keep my friend's supply closet stocked for the rest of the year with tampons and pads, along with toiletries and bathroom cleaning supplies, but one good deed didn't solve the larger problem.
"Period poverty" may not be quite so extreme in New Jersey schools, but on any given day, it's a safe chance there's a student caught without the supplies she needs. Right now, the options are limited to a vending machine that may or may not work, or a trip to the school nurse's office -- if your school has a nurse on site.
Much as I hate recommending legislative remedies for things like basic hygiene in schools, a bill currently moving through the state legislature would require all schools to provide period products for free in every bathroom.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Schools provide toilet paper and hand towels, why not pads and tampons? But this is New Jersey, where ridiculousness can seep into any rational process. A hearing on the bill last week became an opportunity for some folks to attempt to to tie this sensible measure to the controversial state sex education requirements.
One critic worried the bill's wording could require schools to put pads and tampons in boys bathrooms, leading to waste and a worry that "boys would stuff tampons up their noses to be funny and stop nosebleeds and use them to clog toilets and sinks."
First of all, find me an adolescent boy who'll willingly touch a feminine hygiene product and I'll be surprised. Secondly, any school nurse will tell you a heavy nosebleed is a perfectly acceptable use for a tampon. To me, this feels like a non-issue.
Still, one Republican legislator described this simple, well-intentioned effort that could make the difference between a successful day at school and one filled with discomfort and potential embarrassment as '"part of a “full-fledged assault on families” and “people of faith”' in the state.
The legislature must reject these attempts to make basic hygiene controversial. I hope they pass this bill immediately. As one supporter of the measure wrote: "Like toilet paper, soap and hand towels, period products are not a luxury; they are basic hygiene necessities. Providing menstrual products in schools affords all students an equal opportunity to learn and study without the monthly burden of obtaining something many people take for granted."
Also this week, never speak ill of Jersey, raining cash at the mall, a general store for sale, how to get Real ID, and a celestial event:
THAT’S WHAT YOU GET: A Jeopardy! contestant thought he’d be a cute guy and crack a joke making fun of New Jersey, immediately bringing the malocchio and bad luck upon himself. He finished in third place.
CASH MONEY: So there’s a guy who likes to show up at Freehold Raceway Mall around holidays and toss fistfuls of a cash from the second floor to shoppers below. He did it again on Mother’s Day, and I hope some lucky moms took home part of the haul.
SUCH A DEAL: New Jersey’s oldest general store is for sale and can be yours for the low, low price of $699,000! The Garriss General Store in Sussex County opened in 1876 and includes the two-story commercial building and a 3-bedroom house next door.
REAL ID: I got a note from one of you this week saying you’re finding it impossible to make appointments to get your Real ID -- and apparently you’re not the only one. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get it.
LUNA LOOKS: If you’re up late Sunday night, keep your eyes on the skies for a full “flower moon” that’ll turn into a “blood moon” for a short time. Our Len Melisurgo has all the details and how to get a peep right here.
Finally, there’s an alarming shortage of baby formula happening, and parents are starting to feel the pinch. Some retailers began limiting purchase amounts months ago to help supply keep up, with the shortage created after recalls forced a shut down of the production facility for a major brand. In the last week of April, 40% of major brands were out at major U.S. retailers, and parents are sharing their stories on social media. Legislators are beginning to look into the situation.
Is the baby formula shortage affecting you or a parent you know? Drop me an email and tell me about it.
Have a wonderful week, everyone!
P.S.: Patti LuPone had time for an audience member who refused to wear her mask correctly.
