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Read the press release here.

Free Feminine Products Coming to 25 Schools in Queens and The Bronx

By Katie Honan | March 14, 2016 3:05pm
 Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland launched the city's first free feminine hygiene dispenser program at the High School for Arts and Business in Corona in September with support from Hospeco, a health care company. On March 14, 2016, she announced the Department of Education was installing free dispensers in 25 schools in the Bronx and Queens.
Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland launched the city's first free feminine hygiene dispenser program at the High School for Arts and Business in Corona in September with support from Hospeco, a health care company. On March 14, 2016, she announced the Department of Education was installing free dispensers in 25 schools in the Bronx and Queens.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

ELMHURST — A pilot program to bring free feminine hygiene products that started at a Corona high school is being expanded to 25 schools across the city.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland launched the city's first free feminine hygiene dispenser program at the High School for Arts and Business in Corona in September with support from Hospeco, a health care company.

Students and faculty lauded the program, saying it would encourage better attendance and less distraction for female students.

On Monday, Ferreras-Copeland — joined by the Department of Education's Deputy Chancellor Elizabeth Rose, Congresswoman Grace Meng, education chair Councilman Danny Dromm and countless advocates for women around the world — announced that 25 middle and high schools would also be outfitted with free product dispensers. 

It's another step to eventually providing free products in every school, in city jails and at homeless shelters, she said. 

"Feminine hygiene products are as essential as toilet paper," Ferreras-Copeland said. 

"Every young person should have their essential needs met."

The 25 schools are in District 24, in Queens, and District 9, in the Bronx.

Ferreras-Copeland represents schools in District 24, including Newtown High School, where the announcement was held Monday.

District 9 was chosen due to the high percentage of students living in homeless shelters, according to the Department of Education.

While the original program was funded by Hospeco, the city is funding the expansion. 

It's not clear the cost of the free products, but administrators and students at the announcement said it makes a major difference in their school day.

Principal Ana Zambrano-Burakov, from High School for Arts and Business, said their school attendance went up 2.4 percent since September — which she attributes to the free dispensers.

Leila Jackson, a sophomore at Newtown High School, said the often monthly juggling of finding feminine products if her period started early was "incredibly inconvenient" for her and her classmates. 

"This whole process resulted in missing significant amounts of class time," she said. 

"This was an extremely uncomfortable situation for us. The fact that we girls had to go through so much discomfort and spend so much time was ridiculous."

With free dispensers installed in bathrooms, they can focus more time in class, she said. 

Here's the full list of schools that will provide free feminine products for students:

Queens

I.S. 5 - The Walter Crowley Intermediate School I.S. 061 Leonardo Da Vinci
I.S. 077 I.S. 125 Thom J. McCann Woodside
Academy of Finance and Enterprise
High School of Applied Communication
Pan American International High School
Bard High School Early College Queens
Corona Arts and Sciences Academy
Newtown High School
Grover Cleveland High School
High School for Arts and Business
Queens Vocational and Technical High School

 

The Bronx

I.S. 117 Joseph H. Wade
Bronx Collegiate Academy
Urban Science Academy
DreamYard Preparatory School
New Directions Secondary School
Bronx High School of Business
Bronx High School for Medical Science
Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications
Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice
Frederick Douglass Academy III Secondary School
Bronx Leadership Academy High School
Claremont International HS