Florida mom launches ‘Privacy. Period!’ campaign to block menstrual cycle reporting requirements
Stock image via Adobe

Menstruation, period cycle of monthly, hurt asian young woman, f
'Requiring disclosure about periods to athletic departments is a complete overstep and violation of privacy.'

UPDATE: The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors has scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the health forms student athletes must complete to participate in high school sports. The materials for the emergency meeting, which will be held virtually, show an updated version of the forms, which do not include questions about the student’s menstrual cycle. The new version will be up for a vote, which goes against prior recommendations from the FHSAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

The agenda packet for the emergency meeting explains the reason for the change:

“The submission of the full FHSAA EL2 Form to member schools has created concerns and questions from parents, school district administrators, school board members, and coaches regarding the health privacy of student-athletes. While the Association understands it is vital to protect the privacy of all student-athletes, we must address the important role medical history plans in a pre-participation physical examination. Therefore, this recommendation provides pertinent medical history to the qualified health care practitioner and gives schools the medical authorization necessary for allowing athletic participation, while protecting the privacy of the student-athlete.”

“Privacy. Period!” campaign founder Jenn Meale Poggie applauded the decision.

“Yes!! This is the right thing to do – remove mandatory menstrual cycle questions for female athletes,” she tweeted following the news.

The group Florida High School Football also celebrated the update.

“Got to give props to the @FHSAA for listening to those regarding the privacy concerns regarding menstrual cycle information for female athletes,” the group, which represents high school football and flag football players, tweeted.

Florida Politics previously reported:

As the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors prepares to consider a proposal that would mandate questions about girls’ menstrual cycles as a requirement to compete in sports, a Florida mom is launching a new campaign to stop the measure from being approved.

Jenn Meale Poggie is spearheading the “Privacy. Period!” campaign ahead of the scheduled meetings Feb. 26-27.

“Teenaged girls’ menstrual cycles are private, and any conversations or disclosure about them should be among the girl, the parents and their physicians. Requiring disclosure about periods to athletic departments is a complete overstep and violation of privacy,” Meale Poggie said. “Athletic departments need to stay out of health care and respect female athletes’ privacy.” 

Those who support the campaign’s pro-privacy message are encouraged to sign a petition indicating their opposition to the proposed reporting requirements. 

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, only 12 people had signed the petition, though it had only just been posted to change.org. 

Female high school athletes are currently asked to provide information about their menstrual cycles on health forms required for sports participation, but providing that information is optional, according to The Associated Press. 

Forms currently ask students five questions related to their menstrual cycle, including when they had their first menstrual cycle; when their most recent cycle was; how often do they menstruate; how many cycles they’ve had in the last year; and the longest interval between periods in the last year. Answers to those questions are not mandatory.

The proposed form would include four questions, which would be mandatory. Those questions include whether the student has ever had a period; the age at the first period; the date of their most recent period; and how many cycles they’ve had in the past year. 

Supporters, including a member of the board’s sports medicine advisory committee, Robert Sefcik, say the proposed mandatory questions are consistent with national guidelines for sports physicals developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Sports Medicine and other groups, according to The Associated Press. 

Those national guidelines say menstrual history is an “essential discussion for female athletes” because period abnormalities could be a sign of low energy, pregnancy or other medical conditions. 

The campaign against the mandatory questions disagrees, with the change.org petition noting high school coaching staff should be kept “out of the health care industry.”

___

Content from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Peter Schorsch

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises Media and is the publisher of FloridaPolitics.com, INFLUENCE Magazine, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. Previous to his publishing efforts, Peter was a political consultant to dozens of congressional and state campaigns, as well as several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella. Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterSchorschFL.


10 comments

  • Liz

    February 7, 2023 at 10:30 am

    These Republicans are absolute child grooming perverts.

    If you support this, take a look in the mirror and consider the strong possibility that you are probably a pedophile.

    • M

      February 7, 2023 at 11:03 am

      This is not helpful to the cause. Please remove your comment. This is too important to make a political mess out of.

    • Paul Passarelli

      February 8, 2023 at 12:14 am

      I think “Liz” is confused. The Republicans are NOT the groomers.

  • Larry Gillis

    February 7, 2023 at 10:56 am

    “We’re the Government. We’re here to help you.” (As if).

    Vote Libertarian. See: http://www.lpf.org

    Larry Gillis, Cape Coral

    • Elliott Offen

      February 7, 2023 at 11:37 am

      Democratic Socialism done right is better for everyone else.. not so much billionaires. Nordic countries are happier and healthier. The right wing would cease to exist without their class division, winners and losers, in group and outgroup strategy. The most good for the most amount of people is not a right wing objective..the end result being ever increasing amounts of wealth and income inequality and human suffering.

  • Tjb

    February 7, 2023 at 11:38 am

    What is next? Will we be asking for Casey DeSantis cancer medical records. Our health information should be private and not in a state database.

    • Paul Passarelli

      February 8, 2023 at 12:20 am

      I find it odd that we agree. It does tell me that there might be hope you, can be helped to understand reason and logic.

      Perhaps you will even come to appreciate that the best Government is that which governs least. A philosophy that is incompatible wit Progressive-Socialism, and the political Left.

  • Paul Passarelli

    February 7, 2023 at 12:10 pm

    I signed: https://chng.it/ScBRC7WfpG

    I can think of *ONE* reason that the data can be used that would be beneficial for the female athletes. Ambitious coaches have and will push the girls to the point of amenorrhea. Good for the team, bad for the individual. A conscientious coach would know better. But the way government schools process data means that the statistic would only be seen in *HINDSIGHT*, and that doesn’t really benefit anyone.

    Stay strong ladies!

  • cassandra

    February 7, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    The government should not be collecting teenage girls’ private health information. It is disturbing that this board would even consider something so intrusive. Good that this mom is using her parent’s rights to protect children in Florida.

  • Peter Hansen

    February 8, 2023 at 1:35 am

    Why mandate questions about girls’ menstrual cycles? They are able to do sports or not. Always been like that.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704