The fourth edition of The Principal’s Quick-Reference Guide to School Law is an excellent reference book for school practitioners and future school leaders. Robert Hachiya provides helpful guidance on how to prevent legal controversies and how to apply the law fairly and equitably when legal issues arise. The book is user-friendly, comprehensive, and succinct―which is not an easy balance to strike! You will appreciate having this informative book in your school law tool kit.

This well-written book places a helpful lens on describing, predicting, and preventing the types of legal entanglements that school site administrators might face. The text skillfully weaves pertinent case law with well-chosen examples of real-life situations. It is the practical application of law that makes this book especially helpful for both students of administration and practicing principals. The fourth edition’s updated content includes legal challenges around transgender students, emerging issues with social media and schools, and new case law that directly impacts the action of school leaders. I’ve used previous editions of this text for introductory law classes, and students often note how much they appreciate this book and plan to keep it for future reference.

The fourth edition of The Principal’s Quick-Reference Guide to School Law is an invaluable resource for improving the legal literacy of today’s school leaders. The new edition includes important legal updates that many existing school law guides do not cover, including the changing legal landscape of the use of social media by students and some of the legal issues impacting schools as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The book also addresses a myriad of legal issues from the unique perspective of school administrators and their need to make informed decisions serving the best interests of students and their staff. This is a must-have resource for school leaders who need to effectively navigate the complexities of legal issues impacting our schools.

Dr. Robert F. Hachiya is an associate professor in the education leadership department at Kansas State University. With twenty-seven years’ experience as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal, Dr. Hachiya now teaches courses and advises graduate students at Kansas State University. Among the classes he teaches are Education Law, as well as Ethical Dimensions for Leadership; Principalship; Leadership for Diverse Populations; and History and Philosophy of Educational Administration. He joined the team of Robert J. Shoop and Dennis R. Dunklee for the third edition of this book and is now the sole author of the fourth edition.

Dr. Hachiya has presented across the country at several national conferences, including the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, regarding conducting sexting investigations, and in Boston, Massachusetts, on school violence prevention. In 2021, he presented at the Education Law Association Conference on the practical applications for principals regarding the Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. decision of the United States Supreme Court. He has also presented papers or led discussions at conferences for the Education Law Association (ELA), the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL), and the Kansas United School Administrator (K-USA).

Dr. Hachiya received his BS degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his master’s and EdD degrees from the University of Kansas. He also did post-doctoral work at the School Law Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.