A Tennessee school board member sparked disgust by creepily telling a student at a meeting that she was hot — and asking where she went to school.
Washington County official Keith Ervin initially triggering nervous laughter Thursday as he put his arm around the senior who also spoke at the livestreamed meeting.
“God you’re hot, you know that?” he told the girl as he sidled up right next to her.
“Where do you go to school at?”
When the girl — who was at the meeting to speak about potential school restructuring and the curriculum — politely told him she goes to David Crockett High School, the board member grinned and said, “All right.”
No one challenged Ervin for his creepy remarks, and the meeting continued.
However the alarming clip quickly went viral — with more than 3,400 people signing a petition for Ervin to be removed, along with Superintendent Jerry Boyd for laughing “at this utterly disrespectful remark.”
“This is not the first time Keith Ervin has been in trouble for inappropriate conduct,” the petition alleged.
“Despite previous incidents, he maintained his position, raising questions about the accountability and integrity of those in power within our education system.
“Allowing such behavior to continue sets a poor example for our children and undermines the moral and ethical standards expected of educators and officials entrusted with our children’s education and welfare.”
Brad Arnett, the petition’s creator, blasted Boyd for allegedly laughing at “this utterly disrespectful remark” and claimed officials “protect each other” as part of a “good ole boy system.”
“As a father of both a boy and a girl, I was appalled by the video, as anyone who is a decent human being should be,” he told WSMV.
Education board chair Annette Buchanan later said the remark “objectified and diminished” the student, who was a high school senior.
Parents were stunned at how other board members failed to immediately condemn Ervin or stand up for the girl
“My initial thought on it was that the people were laughing afterward; no one bothered to defend her,” Melanie Bell told WJHL.
“They all seemed a little like, ‘Oh, this is nerve-racking.’ But they didn’t say anything.
“He’s an elected official, so he should be definitely minding his p’s and q’s, especially on camera, because he’s representing the board of education, not just himself.”
Ervin has strongly defended himself, saying the girl just asked “good, smart questions.”
“I mean, I was impressed and the other board members was impressed because she the question she asked,” he told WJHL.
“And, you know, I’m old school. I’m an old farm boy. And I didn’t mean nothing by anything. I just was proud of her.”
Ervin claimed there was “a lot of context missing” from his now viral remark.
An emergency meeting has been called for Wednesday and Ervin is expected to be censured. A protest has also been arranged.
Ervin, who is seeking re-election, can only be removed if there is a recall, but this needs the support of two thirds of registered voters who cast ballots last time.
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