Study Examines Connecticut Free Period Product Law

Quinnipiac researchers presented interim findings on how the state's menstrual products mandate is working in public schools.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Secondary Education

Bold vector editorial illustration of stacked plain product packs and folded cloth beside an empty wooden shelf, in coral, cream, sage, and teal, evoking school menstrual product access. — Quinnipiac researchers presented interim findings on Connecticut's law requiring free menstrual products in public schools, a program whose state-funded grant ends in December 2026. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should public schools in your community be required to provide free menstrual products?

Quinnipiac University professors presented interim research on Connecticut's law requiring public schools to provide students free menstrual products, at the Mini Menstrual Equity Summit on Oct. 27, 2026. The state-funded Connecticut Diaper Bank grant supporting the distribution ends in December 2026.

Why it matters

Menstruation is described as a hidden barrier to accessing education due to stigma, and the law stems from a goal of addressing factors that contribute to educational equity. The research is intended to show how well the grant performs in supporting that goal.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health provided $1.95 million to the Connecticut Diaper Bank for a two-and-a-half-year grant that has supplied over 11 million products to public schools. Availability is highest in nurse's offices and female bathrooms, while less than one third of male bathrooms stock the products.

The players

Quinnipiac University

A private university in Hamden, Connecticut, whose professors conducted the research on the state's menstrual products law.

Connecticut Diaper Bank

A Connecticut nonprofit that received state grant funding to distribute free menstrual products to qualifying public schools.

Connecticut Department of Public Health

The state agency that provided the $1.95 million grant and will receive the researchers' final report.

The details

Researchers collected data by surveying school officials, interviewing staff from The Diaper Bank of CT and participating public schools, and hosting student focus groups. Some schools have reported vandalism and other issues linked to the law, and the researchers presented data from several sources at the summit.

Oct. 27, 2026: Quinnipiac professors present interim research at the Mini Menstrual Equity Summit.
December 2026: The Diaper Bank grant and product distribution ends.
Beginning of 2027: Researchers submit the final report to the Department of Public Health and the Diaper Bank.
2027: Findings are expected to show the grant's effectiveness.

Legal Context

Connecticut's menstrual products requirement obligates every public school to provide free products, a mandate that the state now funds through a grant to the Connecticut Diaper Bank. The interim findings test whether that statewide requirement is translating into consistent access across school facilities.

Students in Connecticut public schools will continue to have free menstrual products available through the grant until December 2026. After that date, the source of ongoing supply for schools is not described in the research summary.

The takeaway

Access to menstrual products at school depends on where a student is, with nurse's offices and female bathrooms far more likely to stock them than male or all-gender restrooms. Watching the final report in 2027 will show whether the grant closes that gap.

What happens next

The researchers will submit their final report to the Department of Public Health and the Diaper Bank at the beginning of 2027, and the grant-funded distribution of products ends in December 2026.