Dad-of-three starts campaign to make period pains ‘authorised’ reason to take day off school

A father of three girls has launched a petition to allow pupils time off from school when suffering from period pains.

Marcus Alleyne, from St Austell in Cornwall, said the issue first came to light when his thirteen-year-old daughter Izzy had to take the day off as a result of period cramps.

According to Plymouth Live, despite Marcus telling the school that his daughter was feeling ‘really rotten’ and was suffering ‘serious period pains’, he was told that it wasn’t considered a legitimate reason and Izzy would therefore be marked as an ‘unauthorised absence’.

The thirty-seven-year-old said he was appalled by the school’s response, noting that if his daughter had been suffering from a migraine he ‘wouldn’t be having this conversation’.

Marcus Alleyne / Facebook

Marcus, a former Royal Navy medic, said: “It got me thinking about what we could do. I contacted the school to schedule a meeting with the student welfare officer, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”

So, after various discussions with his wife and daughters, Marcus decided to launch an online petition titled ‘Period Pains (dysmenorrhea) need to be a legitimate reason for absence in schools’.

In his petition, Marcus wrote: “I am the proud father of incredibly courageous, fierce and strong daughters, the eldest of which attends Secondary School. It not only saddens me that I am urged to write to you, but it also raises significant concerns surrounding the physical, mental and social wellbeing of not only my daughters but all people who have periods across the country.

“By not allowing absences due to Dysmenorrhoea [the official medical term for period pains], which you are doing by considering them unauthorised, shows very clear disparities, and registering absences as unauthorised due to a medical condition only affecting women and people who menstruate is a clear demonstration.

Marcus Alleyne / Facebook

“This leads me to the concerns I have surrounding ignorance of the condition, the impact of a CIS male-dominated field within the senior leadership teams in schools, or the sheer disregard for the physical, emotional and academic wellbeing of our pupils.

“We need to make significant changes not only to the institutions responsible for nurturing our young women and future leaders but also need to educate the prehistoric mindsets of the policy creators and decision-makers. Please sign this petition to start protecting the rights and dignity of our young females within the education setting.”

Marcus said his daughter Izzy has been ‘really great’ about the petition, which has so far gained over 26,000 signatures. He said: “She said there’s been conversations amongst her and her peers, raising awareness of it, but I think the most important thing for her is realising that she and her peers, even though they are just thirteen, they have a voice – a powerful voice.”

You can visit and sign Marcus’ petition here.