RBP
03-26-2022, 03:51 PM
LA GRANGE, IL – Some residents are opposed to the introduction of tampon dispensers in boys bathrooms at Lyons Township High School.
The school noted it was following a new state law. But several people objected to the idea during this week's school board meeting.
As of Jan. 1, public schools in Illinois are required to make tampons available in boys and girls bathrooms for grades 4 through 12.
"At LT, as a result of the new legislation and in our continuing effort to support all students, Personal Hygiene Dispensers are in all public bathrooms, but they are not in the locker rooms," Lyons Township spokeswoman Jennifer Bialobok said in an email to Patch.
At Monday's board meeting, resident Jonathan Koeppel objected to the dispensers.
"It has come to my attention that tampons were put in the boys bathroom for some odd reason. Boys don't menstruate, so they would have no use for a tampon," Koeppel said. "I don't think you should lie to kids. You have biological males, biological females. One has ovaries, one has testicles."
His requests to the board: "Stop lying to kids about the gender issue, fix the baseball field and get the tampons out of the boys bathroom."
Student Addisyn Schaefer had similar views.
"You all saw the tampon dispenser in the boys bathroom. After only an hour, it was broken by the boys who were in the bathroom," Schaefer said. "If someone needs to use the tampon, they need to be in the girls bathroom."
Bialobok told Patch some dispensers have been damaged.
"(T)o put it in context, so have some soap dispenser and toilet paper roll dispensers," she said.
During the legislative debate, lawmakers explained they wanted tampons in boys bathrooms.
"If you are biologically a female, but identifying as a male, you're going to menstruate and you're going to need these products," state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, said during the debate, according to an NPR story (https://www.nprillinois.org/statehouse/2021-05-21/illinois-house-approves-measure-to-require-menstrual-products-in-school-girls-and-boys-bathrooms). "If you are identifying as a male and that's where the bathroom you want to go to because you feel most comfortable, you may need these products."
The school noted it was following a new state law. But several people objected to the idea during this week's school board meeting.
As of Jan. 1, public schools in Illinois are required to make tampons available in boys and girls bathrooms for grades 4 through 12.
"At LT, as a result of the new legislation and in our continuing effort to support all students, Personal Hygiene Dispensers are in all public bathrooms, but they are not in the locker rooms," Lyons Township spokeswoman Jennifer Bialobok said in an email to Patch.
At Monday's board meeting, resident Jonathan Koeppel objected to the dispensers.
"It has come to my attention that tampons were put in the boys bathroom for some odd reason. Boys don't menstruate, so they would have no use for a tampon," Koeppel said. "I don't think you should lie to kids. You have biological males, biological females. One has ovaries, one has testicles."
His requests to the board: "Stop lying to kids about the gender issue, fix the baseball field and get the tampons out of the boys bathroom."
Student Addisyn Schaefer had similar views.
"You all saw the tampon dispenser in the boys bathroom. After only an hour, it was broken by the boys who were in the bathroom," Schaefer said. "If someone needs to use the tampon, they need to be in the girls bathroom."
Bialobok told Patch some dispensers have been damaged.
"(T)o put it in context, so have some soap dispenser and toilet paper roll dispensers," she said.
During the legislative debate, lawmakers explained they wanted tampons in boys bathrooms.
"If you are biologically a female, but identifying as a male, you're going to menstruate and you're going to need these products," state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, said during the debate, according to an NPR story (https://www.nprillinois.org/statehouse/2021-05-21/illinois-house-approves-measure-to-require-menstrual-products-in-school-girls-and-boys-bathrooms). "If you are identifying as a male and that's where the bathroom you want to go to because you feel most comfortable, you may need these products."