The bell rings. You stand up from your seat and suddenly, you know you have to take a detour before your next class. You finish packing up, and the race begins. ‘I’m going to be so late.’

For many at White Station High School (WSHS), this experience is a regular and frustrating occurrence: starting your period unexpectedly at school. Avis Suriyan (10) had a period emergency before a test, and she could not find a single bathroom that was open near the portables. 

“It was so frustrating because not only [was] time passing and [I was becoming] even [more] late for my test, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to bleed through,’” Suriyan said. “ I was panicking as I was pushing on every single door.”

For many others, however, the greater issue is simply not having immediate access to period products like pads and tampons. Naina Deepak (12) is a new student at WSHS, and she had an emergency within the first month she was here. She had another emergency more recently, but with no pads readily available, she just stayed in the bathroom until she could figure something out, missing her entire fifth and sixth-period classes. 

“I mean … I had no clue,” Deepak said. “Even when people told me that I can ask teachers, I [didn’t] know who to ask either because I was new then.” 

The negative effects of not being able to access these products are far reaching, from students not only being late to classes like Suriyan but also missing classes like Deepak. Not to mention the feelings of anxiety, panic and stress that come with such situations. 

“That emergency first happened in August and I was so alone,” Deepak said. “I [didn’t] have a single friend either. I think I missed [statistics] and AP [Literature and Composition] that day.”

Although there are period products available for free in the main office and the freshman building, near the back lobby, many students are unaware of them. The students who are not aware of these products usually rely on their friends and are encouraged to do so.

“Not everyone can go [to the office],” Deepak said. “I know multiple other people who have told me that they’ve had [an] emergency, but at least they had someone to help them. But not everybody has that.”

The free period products program in the offices was started some years back by the district and continues to run through donations from the district, alumni, parents and community members. Although there is no permanent school nurse and the office cannot administer any kind of medication, in case of an emergency, students should go to the office and speak with the office secretaries, Debreka Bonds and Jasmine Rye. However, students are not explicitly informed about the availability of these products; word spreads primarily through other students.

“I don’t even know if they actually tell them. I think they just know that they’re [there], that it’s available for them in the main office,” Bonds said. “There used to be [displays] in the female restrooms, but I think they took them down.”

Many students would prefer to simply have the products be in the bathrooms to be able to take what they need without feeling embarrassed or having to leave the bathroom, which can be difficult. Overall, many students hope that these products will be more easily accessible to them in times of need. 

“Honestly, I just want to be able to get a pad without having to ask, you know, I could just reach in and grab one totally discreet,” Suriyan said.