A Tennessee county school board on Wednesday unanimously voted to censure a member who told a student, “God, you’re hot” at a public board meeting last week.
The Washington County Board of Education approved the censure during an emergency meeting, after public calls for the removal of board member Keith Ervin and the district’s superintendent Jerry Boyd.
In a board meeting April 2, which was live-streamed, Ervin told a female high school student next to him: “God, you’re hot. Do you know that? Damn. Where do you go to school at?”
The girl, who is a student member of the board, had just wrapped up asking questions about CTE education, when Ervin put his arm around her and hugged her from the side and made the comment.
Some other board members at the table lightly laughed, and the meeting went on.
A school board censure is a formal condemnation of a member’s conduct but doesn’t remove a person from office.
At Wednesday's meeting, several locals spoke about their anger and disappointment and called for Ervin to step down and for the board to take accountability.
Ervin read out a prepared speech where he said he didn't intend to offend anyone and claimed his "hot" comment was misconstrued.
"Obviously I’ve seen the clip. Look, I get it, if that’s all you’re seeing I understand why people are reacting the way they are," he said. "But that’s not the full conversation, not even close. Last week at the board meeting I wanted to congratulate a student who did a great job sharing thoughts with all that was in the room."
"When I mentioned she was hot, I meant she was on a roll, it was nothing to do with her appearance," he continued. "As a lifetime supporter of David Crockett High school, I was especially surprised to learn that’s where she went to school.
He went on to say the clip that has gone viral of his comment was just a few seconds out of the two-hour meeting and that the full video of the meeting gives context.
"There was no disrespect meant and I apologize to her and her family for my comment reacting in the public for the incredible job she did as a student board member," he said.
As he was wrapping up, one men in the audience yelled, “I watched it, you’re a liar!” referencing the full video of the meeting.
“I’d just like folks to take a look at it before jumping to conclusions. The video speaks for itself,” Ervin said, concluding his speech.
“It sure does!” One woman in the room shouted.
Boyd attended Wednesday's meeting, sitting among school board members, but did not speak.
Board members shared short statements.
Member Whitney Riddle called for Ervin to step down over the "inappropriate and unacceptable" comments, to raucous applause in the room from audience members.
Board member Eric Barnes said: “Mr. Ervin I can’t judge your intent or your heart. But I was here, I saw the actions. They were inappropriate, we all understand that. This has obviously drawn a lot of unwanted attention to this school system, it’s hurtful to the school system and I think the right thing for you to do is resign.”
Other members said they believed Ervin misspoke, didn’t mean ill-intent and cited his yearslong tenure in the elected board seat.
At the end, there was a motion to censure Ervin and all board members voted yes, with Ervin abstaining.
Ervin and the board did not immediately respond to requests for further comment from NBC News.
The video of the April 2 meeting had sparked local outrage, and a petition seeking to remove Ervin and Boyd has garnered thousands of signatures as of Wednesday.
"Jerry Boyd’s passive acceptance of Keith Ervin’s comment reveals a disturbing lack of leadership and judgment," the petition said. "It is imperative that we take action now to hold these officials accountable."
The board previously condemned Ervin’s comments as “grossly inappropriate.”
“Mr. Ervin has explained that he meant nothing offensive and that we have simply misunderstood his intentions,” the board said in a statement to NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville. “Mr. Ervin knows his own intentions, but the rest of us have to judge his words and his actions. What we saw was shocking. He objectified and diminished a young woman publicly. No explanation can justify that.”
Community members were fierce with outrage during the public comment portion of Wednesday's meeting.
“Mr. Ervin, you have broken the community’s trust and confidence and the school board’s ability to do its job,” one woman said.
“If that had been a male student next to you, you wouldn’t have done that. You wouldn’t have put your arm around her and said, 'Oh, yeah!” another woman said. "The days of men thinking it’s OK for you to put your arm around a female, around their waist, or hug them, get in their face, are over."
One man received loud applause when he asked: “Would you want your kid around that guy without a camera around? I wouldn’t."
Ervin was elected in 2006 to represent the First District for the Washington County School Board. He is described as a self-employed dairy farmer and father to two daughters, according to the board's website.
