Shadows and Solicitors: West Shore's Legal Coup

In 2024, the conservative majority on the West Shore School Board set out to do what many other far-right school boards in Pennsylvania have done. They wanted to quietly install legal counsel who would back their extremist agenda. But this time, they didn’t just catch public attention—they got sued for it.

At the center of the story is the ousting of Brooke Say, a respected solicitor from the firm Stock & Leader. The board fired her and her firm and hired Kevin Hall from the firm Tucker Arensberg. This was a disturbing decision regardless of process because of Mr. Hall’s credentials and character. Hall is a lawyer who had no previous school solicitor experience but a long history of right-wing online activity. He also indicated his support of white nationalist and pro-apartheid commentators on social media. The board’s majority did not replace Say because of incompetence. They did it because and her firm gave them sound advice. Solicitors should give advice based on best practices and state law. They should know and respect the school’s federal constitutional obligations. That wasn’t what they wanted. They wanted someone who would play ball.

A Pre-Decided Outcome Behind Closed Doors

West Shore had a standing board policy outlining how to replace legal counsel. They needed to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP), allow firms to bid, and consider the options in public. Instead, the board torpedoed that process.

Instead, the board’s conservative majority began deliberating in private. At first, they were reportedly considering hiring the Independence Law Center (ILC). The ILC is a far-right firm known for crafting anti-LGBTQ+ policies. They’ve also justified book bans for school boards across Pennsylvania. At some point they shifted focus to Hall and his firm, again while behind closed doors. The majority of the board, led by President Heidi Thomas, a PAEGP ally, made their decision in secret. Then, before any public vote took place, Kevin Hall emailed Brooke Say:

“We do not foresee a need for you to attend the meeting on Thursday.”

He also asked her to begin transferring district legal information to him. Say pushed back, noting that no meeting had been held to make that decision. Providing confidential information to him like this would also breach professional ethics rules. She was right. York Dispatch reporting later confirmed that Hall had never even met the board in person before sending that email.

The Meeting That Boiled Over

On April 11, 2024, the district held what may have been the most chaotic school board meeting in its history. Over a hundred members of the public packed the room, with many arriving furious after reading the Dispatch’s exposé the day before.

Board members shouted over each other. The crowd erupted into boos, jeers, and chants. At one point, a board member literally shouted “hell no” as their vote against the solicitor switch.

Attorney Danielle Gross (no relation to “The Gross PAC” that is PAEGP) condemned the board’s suspension of its own policy:

“It seems as if they deliberated behind closed doors about which solicitor they’d like to hire. If they’re going to suspend a policy every time they want to violate it, what’s the point of even having policies?”

Despite the outrage—and the clear Sunshine Act concerns—the board voted 5–4 to fire Stock & Leader and hire Kevin Hall.

Immediately after the vote, an attorney in the audience approached the board and served them with a legal complaint. The board had violated the state’s Sunshine Law governing public meetings and decisions.

The Year That Followed: Policy, Politics, and Pressure

While the lawsuit simmered, the new board-solicitor team got to work.

Later in 2024, the board introduced and passed a transgender athlete ban. They cited “fairness” while using policy language lifted from the Independence Law Center’s work. Though Kevin Hall remained the official solicitor, ILC attorney Jeremy Samek was present at the meeting. Samek, seated prominently as the vote took place, offered a nod of approval from another group the board had considered hiring in secret.

This move, like the solicitor swap, demonstrated the board majority’s extreme ideological overreach. It was also a clear example of how bad legal hires lead to bad policy.

On July 19, 2025, PennLive reported that the West Shore School Board had settled the Sunshine Act lawsuit. The board agreed to follow its own policy going forward by issuing a formal RFP for its legal representation.

Will they actually entertain competing bids, or just rubber-stamp Kevin Hall again, now with the faint veneer of legitimacy? That remains to be seen.

How We Fight Back

✔️ Stay Engaged: What happened in West Shore only became a public scandal because residents paid attention. Local journalism and public outrage changed the narrative.

✔️ Demand Transparency: Boards should select every major contract in a school district via a fair and open process. That includes legal counsel. No exceptions.

✔️ Know the Agenda: Watch for hires connected to groups like the Independence Law Center and PACs like PAEGP. Their goal isn’t service but rather control in service of a greater agenda.

✔️ Vote in Every Race: These kinds of takeovers happen in school boards because turnout is low. Make it your mission to change that.

This wasn’t just a story about lawyers and lawsuits. It was about democracy. When school boards operate in darkness, they don’t just break the law—they break public trust. And the ones who pay for it? Our students.