In Potenza two high schools have taken a very important step in the Italian scholastic panorama: the Quinto Orazio Flacco high school and the Da Vinci-Nitti institute have officially approved menstrual educational leave. The decision represents the result of a bottom-up process, promoted by the provincial student council, which brought the issue of female students’ well-being to the center of the local educational debate. The initiative aims to recognize the impact that the menstrual cycle can have on school life, overcoming the silence that often accompanies these topics.
The proposal was presented in February 2025 and found concrete application thanks to the work of student representatives within the school councils. Through an operational agreement with the student committees of the high schools of the Lucanian capital, the measure was structured and approved in a shared manner. Already in the previous months, the Walter Gropius music high school had independently experimented with a similar solution, anticipating a change that has now become official and also recognized by other institutes.
What does menstrual leave include?
Menstrual educational leave allows female students to be absent from school for up to two days a month in the presence of dysmenorrhea or cycle-related disorders. Absences do not affect the validity of the school year, avoiding educational penalties. To access this possibility, a medical certification is required, to be presented annually by a date established by the institute. The objective is not to encourage absence, but to offer concrete protection in cases where pain makes it difficult to follow lessons.
According to the Student Council, the introduction of leave represents a true measure of civility, long overdue not only in schools but also in the world of work. The declared intention is to extend the measure to other institutes in the province of Potenza, transforming the local experience into a possible replicable model. The school is thus interpreted as a space capable of welcoming social changes and responding in a concrete way to the needs of students.
Comparison with foreign countries and the regulatory vacuum
At an international level, menstrual leave is already a reality in several countries, such as Japan, where it has existed since 1947, and Spain, which also recognizes it in the workplace. In Italy, however, there is still a lack of national legislation, despite some recent legislative proposals. In this context, the decisions of the Potenza schools show how, in the absence of a law, it is the school communities that promote experiments aimed at inclusion and respect for health.
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