(The Lion) — The Nebraska State Board of Education narrowly approved a menstrual product pilot program for public schools last week, voting to restrict the products to girls’ restrooms, girls’ locker rooms and nurse or health offices – but not boys’ bathrooms.

The move follows a state law passed earlier this year, which allocates $250,000 for the distribution of menstrual products such as pads and tampons in public schools starting this month. To qualify, a school must have at least 40% of its student body living in poverty.

While the program wasn’t controversial, placing the products became a point of contention.

Board member Kirk Penner initially sought to define “male” and “female” in the amendment language and restrict product placement to female bathrooms and locker rooms.

“It’s been blurred, and so what’s a female and what’s a female locker room?” Penner said, according to Nebraska Public Media. “That is the reason.”

His proposal didn’t gain enough traction. However, board member Deborah Neary introduced a successful compromise amendment that left out the definitions but retained the intent of Penner’s proposal.

Her version, which passed 5-3, limited the products to female-designated spaces and added school health and nurse offices.

“I just come back to, what is the scope of our job and what is the scope of this legislation? And to me, those are the priorities,” Neary said. “When we get into legal definitions of things, I think we’re in somebody else’s area. We’re not lawyers, and it concerns me when we try to go outside our scope.”

Meanwhile, board member Elizabeth Tegtmeier argued putting tampons in boys’ bathrooms would be wasteful.

“As a mom of boys, I’m really all in favor of not making a product that would be thrown into toilets and used to clog toilets,” Tegtmeier said. “I mean boys – it’s a joke to boys – and to girls, it’s a necessary product.”

The Nebraska Department of Education will work with the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council to implement the program.

Liberals across America have supported policies to put menstrual products, including tampons, in men’s bathrooms at libraries, colleges, K-12 public schools and town halls, sparking criticism from conservatives.

However, some companies are starting to change course. For example, Facebook’s parent company Meta announced in January it would remove tampons from its men’s restrooms.