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As Phillips (1983) observed, school-based practitioners must be knowledgeable of federal and state education law and familiar with state law that regulates psychology. Shriberg et al. (2011) found that survey respondents rated “knowledge of the law” as the top factor that facilitated achievement of social justice through the delivery of school psychological services. We believe that school psychology trainees should acquire knowledge of the major provisions of federal education law early in their coursework so that they have a foundational framework for understanding and applying state education regulations during field experiences and at their employment site (Dailor & Jacob, 2010). In addition, graduate coursework should introduce students to provisions of state law that regulate mental health providers if those provisions are pertinent to school-based practice (e.g., privilege and nondisclosure laws).

The scope and depth of legal training required for school psychologists should be appropriate to the range and type of legal decisions they make in their job setting. Unlike psychologists in private practice, school-employed practitioners work under the supervision of school administrators. The individual practitioner bears responsibility for ensuring that their independent decisions are in compliance with district policies and law, but many of their decisions are subject to administrative oversight. In addition, school-employed practitioners work in a context that emphasizes multidisciplinary assessment and intervention planning. For example, the legal determination of special education eligibility, classification, and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment is made by a group of professionals and the child’s parents. This emphasis on shared decision making in schools serves as a safeguard against legally incorrect determinations that might be made by a professional acting alone.