Following in the footsteps of Ottawa County, the Allendale Public School Board of Education is replacing its legal counsel with a law firm known for defending Far-Right Conservative values.
The Allendale Public School Board voted Monday to replace its current legal team with the Kallman Law Firm, the same counsel hired by the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners last week.
Like the Ottawa County Board’s decision last week, the School Board’s decision to change legal teams came without much warning, as the action item had only been added to the meeting’s agenda 24 hours prior to beginning.
Former School Board President Josh Thurkettle, who voted “no,” said he took issue with the “last minute” switch.
“Try and shove a law firm through? That’s not transparent. If you think it is, your integrity is very weak,” Thurkettle said.
While the nine newly-elected board members in Ottawa County were all endorsed by the far-right leaning Republican PAC group Impact Ottawa in November’s election, two newly-elected Allendale School Board members were also endorsed by Impact Ottawa in November as well; including Liz Ramey and new School Board President, Corey Mango.
WGVU reached out to President Mango for comment, at the time of this report, calls were not returned.
Board member Liz Ramey also proposed that the district end its affiliation with the Michigan Association of School Boards, arguing the Association “does not protect” parents rights over their children in the classroom.
