A middle school teacher is on administrative leave following a situation where a student and her father raised concerns about the student being denied restroom access during her menstrual period, resulting in her bleeding through her clothes.
Byllie Eighinger-Lemm, 13, a student at Yelm Middle School, shared that on Tuesday, Oct. 15, she informed her teacher about needing to change her pad due to her period.
“I was straight up with her, and then, she was like, ‘go sit down,’” Eighinger-Lemm said.
A girl reached out to her father, Bill Lemm, to share that her teacher denied her request to use the restroom. Lemm told his daughter to get up and exit the classroom to go to the bathroom.
Eighinger-Lemm emerged from the restroom, bloodied, and was met by another teacher in the hallway. The teacher escorted her back to the classroom to collect her things before taking her to in-school detention.
Eighinger-Lemm expressed that returning to the classroom was very distressing, especially since she realized that menstrual blood had stained her clothes.
The student had to wait in detention for 15 to 20 minutes in her soiled clothes after retrieving her clothing until her father arrived to pick her up.
Lemm shared that his daughter was in tears when they were finally together again. Eighinger-Lemm took the rest of the week off from school. The teacher involved offered an apology upon her return.
A father and daughter are advocating for a change in school policy.
Eighinger-Lemm expressed her aim to ensure that the teacher in question is unable to mistreat another student as she was mistreated.
After the incident, Lemm reached out to officials at the school and district levels, including Yelm Superintendent Chris Woods, to inform them of the situation. Lemm reported that he went to the district office in person to file a formal complaint, but was met with laughter from a receptionist who denied him any paperwork for the process. Lemm later mentioned that a district representative indicated there isn’t a designated form for submitting a complaint against a teacher.
The communications director for the district, Teri Melone, stated that the district is looking into the incident and will reach out to the family once the investigation is finished.
Washington is among several states that have implemented a law focused on menstrual equity. According to Washington state law, all school districts and private institutions must provide menstrual hygiene products free of charge in gender-neutral restrooms and those designated for female students in schools serving grades six through twelve.