The aim of this article is to investigate the rural educators' understanding of the legislations that impact on school practice. An argument is presented that the understanding of the legal frameworks that govern school practice begins with the educators' understanding of the Bill of Rights and the South African Schools Act. The article reports on a study in which quantitative methodology was used to obtain information from rural educators who are members of the school management team , about their understanding of certain sections of the Bill of Rights and the South African Schools Act that have a founding impact on the school practice. The study is concluded by the submission that it is essential for rural educators to be given necessary training so that they can have a working knowledge of the legislations that impact on their school practice to understand the legal processes and principles and determine the legality of their decisions.