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A member of a Tennessee school board has been charged with assault after he was seen on video last month touching a high school student at a meeting and calling her "hot."Keith Ervin, a member of the Washington County school board, was indicted by a grand jury on May 11 and charged on May 18, according to court documents obtained by the Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. He was charged with a count of misdemeanor assault – physical contact, for an alleged violation on April 2, records show.Ervin was seen in a video of an April 2 school board meeting touching the teen girl in what appeared to be a side hug and saying, "God, you're hot. Did you know that?" The video has been shared widely online and prompted a petition with more than 7,000 signatures calling for his removal from the board.The school board said in a statement that it is aware of the charges against Ervin, and continued to disavow his behavior. The board censured Ervin, who has been a member since 2006, on April 8 after coming under criticism from across the country."The Board reiterates that Mr. Ervin’s actions do not reflect the standards, policies, or values of the school district. The Board remains committed to ensuring a safe, respectful and appropriate environment for all students and staff."Ervin did not respond to the Knoxville News Sentinel's attempts to reach him for comment on the charge.Student speaks out: 'I do not forgive you'Ervin initially came under fire in early April when video of him at the board meeting went viral. The student was at the meeting to make a presentation that day.After Ervin made the comments, laughter could be heard in the room on the video. Other board members and district Superintendent Jerry Boyd were present and faced intense public scrutiny, both online and in person, for not speaking out about the comment in the moment.The board voted to censure Ervin on April 8, which is a public reprimand but does not remove him from office. He remains on the board and ran uncontested in a recent Republican primary. Replacing Ervin could require flipping his seat and electing a Democrat in his place in an August election.The student made a statement to the board earlier in May, and called the board members "cowards." Ervin was present during her comments."I do not forgive you," the student said. "Gaining global attention for sexual comments and assault is not the reputation that Washington County deserves."She "thanked" the board for teaching her important life lessons."Thank you for teaching me that no one will stand up for me besides myself. Thank you for showing this community what you believe it means to protect our children. Thank you for giving me a reason to advocate for policies that require board members to have the equivalent, if not greater, training than school administrators on sexual assault and appropriate conduct," she said. "Thank you for showing us the importance of voting locally, and thank you for giving me another reason to get a little bit tougher."Board member defends calling student 'hot'During a meeting later in April, dozen public commenters spoke in a packed room; one defended Ervin while several called for his resignation."When it comes to children, sir, it’s not a second chance," community member Jake Johnson said at the meeting, according to reporting from the Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. "We’ve got to protect the kids here. That’s what it comes down to."Ervin said at the April 8 meeting that his comments were taken out of context. He said leading up to his comment on April 2, the student had been making a presentation he found impressive. He said he has apologized to the student and her family."When I mentioned she was hot, I meant she was on a roll," Ervin said. "It had nothing to do with her appearance."
