Student Protection Principles

As school voucher and scholarship programs expand across the United States, including through the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), many families of children with ADHD will encounter these programs when considering educational options.

CHADD does not endorse or oppose voucher or scholarship programs as a matter of education policy. However, CHADD affirms that all students with ADHD—regardless of school setting—deserve meaningful educational protections, supports, and opportunities necessary for success. Consistent with that position, CHADD supports the Student Protection Principles listed below.

Students with ADHD often rely on school-based supports, accommodations, and interventions to succeed academically, socially, and behaviorally. In educational environments where legal protections and service obligations may vary or are limited, these students may face increased risks of unmet educational needs, exclusionary discipline, or removal from school.

For this reason, CHADD believes participation by a school in scholarship or voucher programs—including programs authorized under federal or state law that provide publicly subsidized or tax-advantaged scholarships, vouchers, or similar support for K–12 education and programs administered through scholarship-granting organizations or equivalent entities—should include clear policies to protect students with ADHD and other disabilities.

For purposes of this document, “participating schools” refers to schools that enroll students receiving support through such programs. This is a proposed policy and guidance document. It is not a legal brief and does not predict outcomes; rather, it identifies CHADD’s recommendations for essential safeguards to support informed family choice, equitable access, and student protections in school choice programs.

Accordingly, CHADD believes that private schools that participate in scholarship and voucher programs should incorporate the following Student Protection Principles.

1. Nondiscrimination in Admissions
CHADD supports admissions practices that do not deny admission solely on the basis of disability, including ADHD. CHADD also supports transparent communication of eligibility criteria and a school’s general capacity to provide accommodations, supports, and services.

2. Transparency About Supports and Services
CHADD supports proactive public disclosure about accommodations, supports, services, and school’s general capacity before enrollment so families can make informed educational decisions. Information should be readily available without requiring families to request disability-related information.

3. Reasonable Accommodation Practices
CHADD supports individualized accommodation practices that provide meaningful access for students with ADHD, consistent with a school’s instructional model. CHADD also supports publicly available descriptions of commonly available accommodations, supports, and services to assist family decision-making.

4. Clear Discipline Policies
CHADD supports positive behavioral interventions and supports, and transparent discipline policies that are communicated clearly, implemented fairly, and protect students with disabilities from disproportionate exclusion, repeated informal removal, or push-out while appropriately considering disability-related needs.

5. Accessible Complaint and Resolution Processes
CHADD supports clear, accessible complaint and resolution procedures that allow families to raise concerns regarding admissions, accommodations, supports, services, and discipline without retaliation, with opportunities for impartial review and reasonable timelines for response.

6. Data Transparency and Accountability
CHADD supports collection and public reporting of aggregate participation, performance, and outcome data by states and individual scholarship-granting organizations to promote transparency, accountability, and continuous program improvement.

Supporting Informed Family Choice

CHADD takes the position that educational choice programs are most effective when families have accurate information and meaningful student protections. CHADD believes families of students with ADHD should be able to make educational decisions based on clear information about legal protections and transparent school policies and with confidence that their child will have meaningful access to appropriate accommodations, supports, and services.

• These Student Protection Principles are intended to complement CHADD’s Position Statement, Appendix A, Appendix B, Family Education Guide, and Quick Start Guide [LINK SOON]. Together these resources provide CHADD’s coordinated framework for informed family choice and recommended student protections.

By establishing basic principles for participation in scholarship and voucher programs, policymakers and participating schools can help ensure that educational choice expands opportunity without reducing essential protections for students with ADHD and other disabilities.