Tracking Student-Athletes Menstrual History

Katherine “Kati” Kokal, an education reporter at The Palm Beach Post, received a tip that prompted her to investigate why schools in the Florida district she covers were asking student-athletes to provide their menstrual health history to coaches. 

That took her on a long journey (literally driving to one public meeting took four hours!); a story in her local coverage area mushroomed into a national conversation about student-athletes, medical history and digital privacy.

 “Concerns have been heightened both by a shifting political landscape criminalizing abortions and scrutinizing transgender athletes and the growing threat to medical privacy in a digital age,” she wrote. 

On this week’s EWA Radio episode, Kati explains what it’s like being the only reporter in the room, discusses the “right” way for national outlets to amplify local stories, and details how she stays organized using “spreadsheets of spreadsheets.”