The Austin Diaper Bank recently unveiled Bright Spot, a new program to supply period products to students who don’t have them. The program will take place at AISD’s Lanier High School and Burnet Middle School.
“Shockingly, one in five students miss school each month because they don’t have period supplies,” says Holly McDaniel, executive director of Austin Diaper Bank. Pads, tampons and diapers are not covered by federal assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC). In addition, these products are subject to state sales tax.
“Any woman, or parent for that matter, understands that period products and diapers are necessities, not luxury items,” says state representative Donna Howard (D-Austin), who has authored bills to exempt diapers and period products from the state sales tax.
