Nonprofit Optimal Health for Me outlines abstinence-focused curriculum to Rutherford County board

Kelsey Perrault, director of Optimal Health for Me, told the Rutherford County School Board on Feb. 6 that the nonprofit’s OH4M program delivers medically framed, abstinence‑focused family‑life lessons to middle and high school students in Rutherford County.

Perrault said OH4M, a program administered under the nonprofit Portico, has operated in Rutherford County schools for 25 years and is donor funded; she told the board the program receives no government funding. OH4M presents age‑appropriate lessons that advance with grade level and, Perrault said, are aligned to Tennessee Department of Education wellness standards and Tennessee law governing family life curriculum.

Perrault said the program serves sixth through 12th grades and focuses on five topics: healthy self‑worth and boundaries; identifying healthy versus unhealthy relationships; physical risks of unhealthy relationships and benefits of delaying sexual activity; internet safety and the influence of social media; and goal setting. She described specific delivery: five 45‑minute lessons for middle school classes and block lessons for high school classes delivered two to four times a year depending on schedule.

Perrault told the board OH4M updates curriculum annually with input from medical professionals, teachers and parents and that volunteers who teach in classrooms are unpaid and complete multi‑week training plus at least a semester of observation. She said the program is Ascend certified for sexual risk avoidance and that materials and videos are available for parent review on OH4M’s website.

On parental notice and consent, Perrault said the district’s coordinated‑health staff will include parental notice in registration packets so parents receive at least 30 days’ notice before instruction, and parents have the right to opt their children out without penalty. She said additional consent is required under state law if the program were to teach about sexual orientation or gender identity, and OH4M does not plan to require that explicit consent because Perrault said the program focuses on relationship skills rather than orientation.

Board members and others in the room responded with questions and brief praise for the program’s transparency and materials; a board member identified as Mr. Tisdale commended the program’s openness to meet with parents, and other board members thanked Perrault for producing videos for parent review. Perrault said OH4M reached about 3,700 Rutherford County students last year and expects to reach more than 5,000 this year, and that the program will be in about 20 schools this year and in most county high schools except Eagleville.

Perrault provided contact information and encouraged teachers and parents to request curriculum review sessions.

Perrault: "It's our hope that every student achieves their optimal health physically, mentally, and socially."