School leadership has progressed from a principal-led position to a dual-leader position with assistant principals. Assistant principals have stepped into instructional leadership roles and have been identified as overseeing special education (Best, 2016; Gaston, 2005; Walton, 2008). Despite studies determining that assistant principals are responsible for special education, gaps in the literature continue regarding assistant principals. This study examined elementary assistant principals and their perceptions of their preparation and legal knowledge of special education. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was utilized to explore the lived experiences of five elementary assistant principals from one public school division in Virginia who oversee special education for their building. The qualitative data were collected using semi structured open-ended interview questions, which allowed assistant principals to share their experience with special education law and procedures, preparation for their leadership role, and professional development opportunities. Using Peoples' (2021) data analysis and NVivo (Lumivero, 2023) software, six themes emerged: (a) special education knowledge, (b) communication, (c) special education background, (d) role preparation, (e) meetings, and (f) collaboration. The results of this study revealed that assistant principals lack confidence in several areas of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, feel unprepared for their role leading special education, and seek more collaborative professional development opportunities to grow their knowledge and leadership skills. Assistant principals would benefit from improved preparation programs to better prepare them for their role as instructional leaders of special education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]