URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO STRENGTHEN MENSTRUAL HEALTH EDUCATION INITIATIVES AND TO ADOPT A COMPREHENSIVE MENSTRUAL CYCLE CURRICULUM.

HCR118

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

118

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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,

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

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

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(1)
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Includes the four pillars of menstrual
dignity:

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

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

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(C)
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Access:
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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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(1)
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Include instruction on menstrual dignity;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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(2)
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Feature appropriate educational materials and
guest speakers;

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

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(A)
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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

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(B)
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Manage
menstruation-related pain; and

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(4)
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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

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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

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

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOE;
Menstrual Cycle; Menstrual Education