Tenn. School Board Member Under Fire After Telling High Schooler that She's "Hot" During Public Meeting

A protest demanding the resignation of a Washington County, Tennessee, school board member is scheduled for tomorrow, April 8, at 4 p.m. local time. Videos by Wide Open Country The reason? Keith Ervin, the target of the event, was heard calling a female student "hot" during a live-streamed meeting on Thursday, April 2. Why Did the School Board Member Call the Student "Hot"? During the meeting, the student, whose identity is withheld due to her age, sat at a large table with adults as members discussed potential school restructuring and curriculum. PEOPLE reports that Ervin was on one side of the student. Washington County Superintendent Jerry Boyd is on the other end. After sharing her thoughts, Ervin touched her. At that moment, Ervin asked her, "God, you're hot, you know that? Where do you go to school at?" The student responded with the school's name. Ervin Says, "There's a Lot of Context Missing" Ervin is standing by what he said. He believes his comments were taken out of context. "I had a student board member beside me, and we was talking, and she got up and was asking questions, and [she] just thoroughly impressed me and the other board members," Ervin told reporters the next day. He then added, "She was a top-notch student board member, and she was asking real smart questions. And I reached over, and I touched her on the shoulder, and I said, 'You're hot. You're good. You're one of the best I've seen.'" "There's a lot of context missing," he said later. "You got to watch the whole meeting to see how impressive the student board member is. I don't know what to say. I'm just, I was impressed." In addition to the protest, the Washington County Board of Education is holding an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss Ervin's comment. A statement from board chairperson Annette Buchanan reads, "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 anticipate the Board will consider and approve a motion to censure Mr. Ervin for his comment." An online petition calling for Boyd's and Ervin's removal has 3,000 signatures. However, under Tennessee law, only a recall election can remove a school board member. Ervin is also seeking re-election for his school board seat. News Tennessee School Board Member, Who Called an Underage Student Hot, Charged with Assault News Father Confronts Tennessee School Board Member Who Called High School Teen "Hot" TV Kelly Clarkson Sings Christmas Carols With Jason Momoa in Hilarious Clip News Drunken Argument Over Enchiladas Leads to Alleged Shooting