A Tennessee teenager called her school board a group of \u201ccowards\u201d last week for not firing a member who hugged her and remarked that she was \u201chot\u201d during a public meeting last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hannah Campbell, a student in Washington County, said bluntly in a fiery speech before the school board Thursday that she does not \u201cforgive\u201d the members for allowing Keith Ervin, a member since 2006, to keep his position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo begin, I want to address Ervin\u2019s actions, which were not only unwelcome, but sexist and derogatory,\u201d said Campbell, a student representative on the board. \u201cI know this because he has not behaved this way with any of our male members, nor do I believe that he ever would. I do not wish to beat a dead horse, as everyone here has clear context as to what happened was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the April 2 school board meeting, Ervin called Campbell \u201chot\u201d after she delivered remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGod, you\u2019re hot. Do you know that? Damn. Where do you go to school at?\u201d Ervin said as he put his arm around her and hugged her from the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some other board members at the table lightly laughed, and the meeting went on, according to a livestream of the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shock and anger broke out through the small community, with many residents calling for Ervin to be removed from his post. The board agreed to censure him, but he has kept his position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe failure to act on the board\u2019s behalf was and is equivalent to his actions as it has hurt me just as much,\u201d Campbell said Thursday. \u201cTo watch the chairperson be so quick to bang her gavel to control the public yet not use it once in order to control her own peer was disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ervin did not immediately reply to a request for comment. In a previous statement, he denied any wrongdoing and said his comment was taken out of context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I mentioned she was hot, I meant she was on a roll. It was nothing to do with her appearance,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Change.org petition was started April 3 calling for Ervin\u2019s removal. It has collected 6,775 signatures and 360 comments, some of them from local residents and parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n