A Tennessee school board member, Keith Ervin of the Washington County Board of Education, has been charged with assault after remarks toward a teenage student and a side hug during a filmed board meeting. New court records show the charge is assault involving
A filmed moment during a Washington County Schools board meeting in April quickly turned into outrage—and now it has escalated into criminal charges.
Keith Ervin, a school board member, drew fire after a teenage student representative spoke during the meeting. In remarks captured on video, Ervin said to the student: “God, you’re hot. Do you know that?. Damn. Where do you go to school at?” He then put his arm around her and gave her a side hug as other adults in the room laughed.
Ervin later defended himself. saying that during the previous week’s meeting he had wanted to congratulate a student who “did a great job sharing thoughts with all that was in the room.” When he mentioned she was “hot. ” he explained. “I meant she was on a roll. It was nothing to do with her appearance.”.
But new court records viewed by NBC News on Tuesday show the law isn’t buying that explanation. Ervin has been charged with assault—specifically assault involving physical contact.
Ervin has not spoken out about the legal trouble, and a lawyer for him was not listed in the court records. He is also not the only one facing pressure around the incident.
On May 7, student Hannah Campbell delivered a sharp statement during another school board meeting. Campbell blasted the entire board for refusing to remove Ervin from his position. She told the members she does not “forgive” them for allowing Ervin—who has been a member since 2006—to keep his role after the April incident. She called the board members “cowards” over what she described as their “failure to act. ” saying. “To begin. I want to address Ervin’s actions. which were not only unwelcome. but sexist and derogatory. I 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.”.
Campbell also said the board’s response amounted to more than a failure of leadership. After the board agreed to censure Ervin a week after the remarks. she argued he should not have remained in office. “The failure to act on the board’s behalf was and is equivalent to his actions as it has hurt me just as much. To 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. ” she said.
She added that she does not accept “your fake apologies used to protect yourselves. I do not believe that you deserve that peace of mind.”
In that May 7 meeting, the board members did not respond to Campbell’s speech and instead moved on to other agenda items.
The Washington County Board of Education released a statement to WCYB on Tuesday. The district said it reiterates that Ervin’s actions “do not reflect the standards. policies. or values of the school district.” It also said the board remains committed to “ensuring a safe. respectful. and appropriate environment for all students and staff.”.
The statement added that the board will defer to law enforcement and the judicial system for the resolution of the charges. It also pointed out that. under Tennessee law. school board members are independently elected officials. and the board “lacks the statutory authority to remove a sitting member from office.”.
Because the case is an open legal matter. the district said neither it nor any district official would provide further comment. It emphasized that the district’s focus remains “on the education and well-being of its students. ” and that standard support resources are available to any student or staff member affected by the situation.
Ervin’s first court appearance is set to take place in August.
Keith Ervin Tennessee school board member assault charge Hannah Campbell Washington County Schools board meeting harassment censure August court appearance