Volunteers gather to distribute free menstrual products for Colorado Springs students
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A bill signed into law in 2024 is now being implemented across the state, providing free menstrual products to students.
House Bill 24-1164 ensures Colorado middle and high school students have access to free period products in all female and gender-neutral bathrooms. By June 30, 2028, all local education providers, including the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, must provide free menstrual products to students in all applicable bathrooms.
The nonprofit Justice Necessary is hosting five PeriodPalooza events across Colorado in the month of May, including in Colorado Springs on May 14, with the goal of raising awareness and distributing more than 2.5 million menstrual products for students who face barriers to education due to a lack of access to essential care items.
The events gathered more than 1,900 volunteers from across the state to assemble one-month period care kits for local students.
'Just having those products in the restrooms helps eliminate some of that stigma,' said Ara Sedaka, Executive Assistant with Justice Necessary. 'You know, people don't crack up laughing when they see a roll of toilet paper sitting on a chair–it's not a huge thing–but it is when you see a pad or a tampon. And we've got a whole industry of, you know, things that you can use to hide them, because of that stigma. So providing them in the restrooms, just like toilet paper, just like napkins, really helps reduce that.'
For the 2024-25 fiscal year, Colorado's Department of Education received $100,000 for the grant program. This money will go toward buying dispensing machines or disposal containers for menstrual hygiene products in schools.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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