A Tennessee school board member is facing widespread calls to resign after he told a female high school student, “God, you’re hot,” while putting his arm around her during a public meeting, then claiming he simply meant she was “on a roll.”
Keith Ervin, a member of the Washington County Board of Education, made the comment at the board’s regular meeting on April 2.
The meeting was livestreamed, and video of the exchange quickly went viral.
WATCH:
A petition is calling for the removal of Washington County Board of Education member Keith Ervin from his position. At a board meeting, he told a student that “she was hot” in front of other board members, who laughed and carried on as if nothing had happened. pic.twitter.com/xN2NEXinvl
— (@AprilSpark1890) April 8, 2026
The student, a senior serving as a student board member, had just finished presenting thoughtful questions about school restructuring and career-technical education when Ervin sidled up to her.
Ervin placed his arm around her shoulder, pulled her in for a side hug, and said, “God, you’re hot. Do you know that? Damn. Where do you go to school at?”
After the clip went viral and prompted extreme outrage, Ervin claimed the comment was taken out of context and insisted he was complimenting the student’s strong performance.
In a statement released to local media before the emergency meeting, Washington County School Board Chair Annette Buchanan called for his resignation.
Buchanan’s statement read in full:
“On Thursday, April 2, 2026, 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. 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. I have called an emergency meeting of the Washington County Board of Education for Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 4:00 pm to address this matter. I anticipate that the board will consider and approve a motion to censure Mr. Ervin for his comments. As the chair of the board of education, I greatly appreciate the support the community has shown for our school system and the advocacy so many have shared in support of the board approaching this matter head-on. We are committed to being worthy of your trust.”
The board addressed the controversy during the emergency meeting, which was also livestreamed.
Ervin read a prepared statement in which he apologized and offered justification for his wording.
“When I mentioned she was hot, I meant she was on a roll,” he said. “There was no disrespect meant, and I apologize to her and her family. I’m not always good with words. The video speaks for itself.”
WATCH:
“I’m not always good with words.“
WASHINGTON COUNTY school board member Keith Ervin issues a statement after being censured for saying “God you’re hot” to a student
He’s a Republican. Democrat MG Wooten is running against him: https://t.co/9sbrl3sG4Q pic.twitter.com/zSA4GBhXHI
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) April 9, 2026
Audience members were not convinced and heckled Ervin in response.
One man shouted, “You’re a liar.”
Another called out, “Keep your hands off girls.”
A woman told him directly, “If that had been a male student next to you, you wouldn’t have done that… The days of men thinking it’s OK for you to put your arm around a female… are over.”
The board voted unanimously to censure Ervin.
Fellow board member Whitney Riddle stated, “I believe it’s in the best interest of the board, our students, the community that Mr. Ervin take responsibility for his actions and step down from his position.”
This is not Ervin’s first controversy.
In 2009, while working at David Crockett High School, he was censured by education officials for making a “lewd, juvenile gesture of a sexual nature” in front of students after one mentioned earning $8 an hour at a job.
Court documents show 15 students and two teachers witnessed the incident and one student was visibly upset.
Ervin admitted to the gesture and was ordered to stay away from campus buildings.
The post Tennessee School Board Member Facing Calls to Resign After Telling Female Student ‘God, You’re Hot,’ Gets Shouted Down After Providing Excuse at Emergency Meeting (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.