A school governor in the United States has faced widespread condemnation after being filmed telling a female pupil, 'God, you're hot,' and putting his arm around her during a public meeting. The incident occurred at a Washington County Board of Education meeting in Tennessee, which was held to discuss school restructuring.
Keith Ervin, a member of the school board, made the remark to the teenage girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The footage has been widely shared on social media, prompting a petition signed by more than 3,000 people calling for his resignation.
Parent Hillary Haley, who signed the petition, said: 'As a member of the school board, he is responsible for our children's health, welfare, safety and education. The display that he put on tells me he should be nowhere around our children.'
Annette Buchanan, chairperson of the Washington County school board, said Mr Ervin had 'objectified and diminished' the pupil. She added: 'Mr Ervin knows his own intentions, but the rest of us have to judge his words and his actions. What we saw was shocking.'
Mr Ervin has defended his comment, claiming he was 'thoroughly impressed' by the student's input. He told local media: '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.” I didn’t mean nothing by it.' The Washington County Board of Education is due to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
