NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, has secured $150,000 in state funding for Decisions, Choices and Options in Hendersonville.
The funding will be used to provide abstinence education and sexual risk avoidance (SRA) programs for youth in Middle Tennessee.
“The choices we make when we are young often lay the foundation for the rest of our lives,” Slater said. “Age-appropriate sexual risk avoidance education is paramount to putting youth in our community on the right path. These funds will help provide students with accurate information to encourage them to practice abstinence and healthy decision-making. I thank my colleagues for supporting this appropriation, which will have a tremendous impact on many Tennessee students.”
Decisions, Choices and Options (DCO) works with public and private schools, after-school programs, homeschool groups and community organizations to encourage optimal health outcomes for youth by outlining the risks of early-onset sexual behavior.
The programs taught by DCO are medically accurate and meet state curriculum requirements, and the group’s instructors are certified Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialists by the country’s top SRA institute. Every year, DCO reaches more than 18,500 youth and students between the ages of 11 and 19 in Tennessee and several other states.
The appropriated funds are part of a $52.8 billion zero-debt balanced budget that was passed by the General Assembly in April. Republican priorities include significant investments in rural and behavioral health care, school safety, education and public safety.
State Rep. William Slater represents House District 35, which includes Trousdale and part of Sumner counties. He is vice chairman of the Education Administration Committee and also serves on the Local Government Committee, Cities and Counties Subcommittee, and the K-12 Subcommittee.