A review of two recent federal court cases concerning school principals who experienced adverse job actions after they engaged in speech about fiscal misconduct by other employees indicates that the courts found that the principal's speech was made as part of his or her job duties and was not protected by the First Amendment.

This fifth article in the series reviewing recent court decisions concerning appropriate school psychology practice from both professional and legal perspectives, asks readers to consider the summary of the Illinois case presented, and the questions and answers that follow. The primary issue is whether the school district's adverse employment…

Principals today are expected to competently perform a variety of roles, particularly those of instructional leader and school manager, under increasing public scrutiny. In general, the school principal has few statutory protections and limited constitutional due-process rights. The problem is that in many cases, principals' employment contracts…