JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (Story Courtesy of WVLT / WSMV) – Update: During a Washington County Board of Education emergency meeting, board member Keith Ervin apologized for his comments toward a student during a previous meeting and offered up an explanation.
Ervin read a letter stating that he meant no disrespect or offense to the student for his comment. He explained that he meant the girl was “on a roll” due to her questions during the meeting and had nothing to do with her appearance.
This followed a public comment period in which community members were outspoken not only against Ervin but also against the other BOE members. Two school board members spoke out and suggested Ervin should resign.
The school board then voted to censure Ervin and the meeting was adjourned.
This marks at least the second time that he has been censured by the school board. It previously happened in 2009 after records obtained by NBC station WCYB show he had made a “lewd, juvenile gesture of a sexual nature” during a classroom discussion at David Crockett, in front of students and teachers.
The Washington County Board of Education is set to hold an emergency meeting to address an incident involving comments made by a board member to a student during a recent meeting.
During a BOE meeting that was streamed on YouTube on April 2, Ervin can be heard saying the following to a student he was sitting next to:
“God, you’re hot, you know that? Where do you go to school at?”
Directly after Ervin’s comments to the student, laughter can be heard throughout the meeting and then the meeting continues on, seemingly with no acknowledgement of the exchange.
Not long after the meeting, a petition was launched in an effort to remove Ervin and Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd. As of Wednesday morning, it’s garnered nearly 2,500 signatures.
“It is imperative that we take action now to hold these officials accountable. We demand the immediate removal of both Jerry Boyd and Keith Ervin from their positions on the Washington County Board of Education. Their continued presence undermines the trust and safety of the students they are meant to serve,” the petition partially reads.
When confirming the emergency meeting with WSMV4, the board released the following statement:
“One of our colleagues, Keith Ervin, made a grossly inappropriate comment toward our student Board member. Mr. Ervin has explained that he meant nothing offensive and that we have simply misunderstood his intentions,” the board said.
“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.”
WSMV4 has reached out to Ervin about the incident and has yet to hear back.
Brad Arnett, one of the people claiming to have created the petition, released the following statement to WSMV4:
“An update regarding the petition filed to seek the removal of Keith Ervin and Jerry Boyd from the Washington County school board. This effort has always been about one thing—our children. We are continuing to make steady progress and are committed to taking every step available to us to ensure the board takes accountability and realizes why this situation is not okay and could have been prevented. Our goal is to not allow this to keep happening, to make sure that every student knows that they are seen, heard, and respected in an environment that is safe, supportive, and free from discomfort or humiliation. As parents and community members, we will continue to advocate for a school system that reflects the values we expect for our children—fairness, dignity, and respect. We will not stop pushing forward until those standards are upheld. I appreciate the continued support from the community and encourage everyone to stay motivated and keeping their voices loud about this issue.
”I became involved because I reside in Washington County, I went to school my entire life in these schools. The things that are happening now have happened for as long as I can remember. It’s the ‘good ole boy’ system. They protect each other and let each other get away with whatever they want, and it needs to stop. 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. Keith Ervin has taken full advantage of his position way too many times and it needs to end here. The positions they hold are a privilege and they have done nothing but abuse the power and make the moral values of the school board non existent.”
