THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	82
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO STRENGTHEN MENSTRUAL HEALTH EDUCATION INITIATIVES and to adopt a comprehensive menstrual cycle curriculum.

 

 

     WHEREAS, section 302A-452, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires the Department of Education to provide free menstrual products on all public school campuses, including the campuses of public charter schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, both menstruating and non-menstruating students should be aware of, and educated about, the natural bodily processes of the menstrual cycle; and

 

     WHEREAS, menstrual health education provides an opportunity to eradicate stigmas; empower informed health decisions; and ensure equal access to, and understanding of, menstrual products; and

 

     WHEREAS, inconsistent menstrual health education continues to stifle progress toward achieving period equity, and some students lack confidence in managing their menstrual cycle and its symptoms, even with free products; and

 

     WHEREAS, menstrual health education is largely absent from or offered inconsistently in United States schools, with only about 25.5 percent of state standards mentioning it; and

 

     WHEREAS, thirteen states have taken the important step of including menstrual health education in their schools' sexual health education standards, recognizing that these courses encourage students to be more inclusive of their menstruating classmates; and

 

     WHEREAS, data from the pre-survey results of the 2022 Hoohanohano Initiative pilot program indicated that eight percent of school faculty surveyed felt that the period education offered in schools was adequate, while fifty percent of students said it was not; and

 

     WHEREAS, the 2021 Understanding Period Poverty report indicated that nearly half, specifically forty-eight percent, of respondents received little or no information about their periods before their first period started; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2024, California passed the Know Your Period Act (Assembly Bill No. 2229), requiring menstrual health education to be included within sexual health standards; and

 

     WHEREAS, before the adoption of Assembly Bill No. 2229, California students were "learning more about the anatomy of frogs" than their own menstrual cycles; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Education is urged to take immediate action to strengthen menstrual health education initiatives in the State's schools; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to adopt a comprehensible menstrual health education curriculum that:

 

     (1)  Includes the four pillars of menstrual dignity:

 

          (A)  Privacy:  Menstruating students should be offered space and autonomy, and guaranteed personal safety;

 

          (B)  Inclusivity:  Menstrual health education programs should be culturally responsive and gender‑affirming;

 

          (C)  Access:  Menstrual health education programs should be multilingual and accessible for students of all abilities, and should offer options and choices for accessing the materials; and

 

          (D)  Education:  The program should be positive, and not fear- or shame-based and should include education on menstrual health and the use of menstrual products;

 

     (2)  Includes content on health promotion, analyzing influences, accessing information, communication, decision-making, goal setting, healthy behaviors, and advocacy;

 

     (3)  Is respectful toward people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, and cultural backgrounds;

 

     (4)  Includes the topics of hygiene, stigmas, and health challenges; and incorporates materials beyond those on the general biological processes of the menstrual cycle; and

 

     (5)  Is age-appropriate and provides defined goals for students in grades 5, 8, and 12; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, for elementary school students, the menstrual health education curriculum should:

 

     (1)  Include instruction on menstrual dignity;

 

     (2)  Require teachers to show hygiene products and to use anatomically correct diagrams;

 

     (3)  Require schools to have menstruation-positive, age‑appropriate children's books available in the school's library;

 

     (4)  Integrate teaching the standards designed to help students understand:

 

          (A)  The menstrual cycle's purpose as a biological process within the menstruating body;

 

          (B)  Native Hawaiian views and cultural practices related to the menstrual cycle, along with related Western views and practices; and

 

     (5)  Help students feel comfortable with the use of menstrual products, as age-appropriate; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, for middle school students, the menstrual health education program should:

 

     (1)  Include instruction on increasing menstrual dignity by having guest speakers from local public health organizations discuss resources on menstrual health;

 

     (2)  Incorporate established standards and use appropriate educational materials, including worksheets, diagrams, and articles;

 

     (3)  Integrate teaching standards designated to help students understand:

 

          (A)  The menstrual cycle's purpose as a biological process within a menstruating body;

 

          (B)  Native Hawaiian views and cultural practices related to the menstrual cycle, along with related Western views and practices;

 

          (C)  Common myths regarding menstrual cycle's role in the reproductive system; and

 

          (D)  The existence and impacts of period poverty, including its effects on physical and mental health;

 

     (4)  Help students feel comfortable with the use of menstrual products, as age-appropriate; and

 

     (5)  Emphasize that students must not stigmatize the menstrual cycle; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, for high school students, the menstrual health education program should:

 

     (1)  Further increase menstrual dignity and use well‑established coursework;

 

     (2)  Feature appropriate educational materials and guest speakers;

 

     (3)  Integrate the standards applicable to students in middle school, as well as the additional standards requiring students to be able to:

 

          (A)  Identify various reasons and health conditions that may make a menstrual cycle "abnormal," and to take the steps necessary to address those health conditions when encountered; and

 

          (B)  Manage menstruation-related pain; and

 

     (4)  Include comprehensible and in-depth translations of all menstrual education materials for use by non‑English speakers of English as a second language speakers; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report on its progress in implementing this measure, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Superintendent of Education, and Chairperson of the Board of Education.

 

 

 

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