'You're all cowards': Student rep confronts Washington Co. board over Ervin incident

Editor's note: Read the whole statement online at johnsoncitypress.com. Washington County student representative Hannah Campbell addressed the Board of Education during public comments at its Thursday meeting, condemning both board member Keith Ervin's conduct during an April meeting and the board's response afterward. "I believe that you're all cowards," Campbell told the board. Campbell was referring to an incident during the board's April 2 meeting in which Ervin was recorded touching her and saying, "Wow, you're hot. What school do you go to?" Following the April incident, the board held a special meeting and voted to censure Ervin, stating it had limited authority to remove an elected member from office. During that meeting, Ervin said he misspoke and argued that the video circulating online was taken out of context. The incident prompted public backlash, with some community members calling for Ervin's resignation. "I want to address Ervin's actions, which were not only unwelcome, but sexist and derogatory," Campbell said. "I know this because he has not behaved this way with any of our male members, nor do I believe that he ever would." Campbell criticized the board's handling of the incident in her statement. "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 also referenced the attention the incident received online and in media coverage. "Gaining global attention for sexual comments and assault is not the reputation that Washington County deserves," she said. "Everyone on this board shares that blame, just as every voter who put you in the office shares that responsibility." Campbell said she did not accept the apologies issued following the censure. "I do not forgive you, and I do not accept your fake apologies used to protect yourselves," she said. "I do not believe that you deserve that peace of mind" "Every time that you feel a little bit of discomfort from the public, I want you to remember that it isn't even a fraction of what I felt on April 2nd," Campbell added. Campbell said she plans to advocate for policies that require board members to have training on sexual harrassment and appropriate conduct. "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. Locals also attended the meeting in protest. Members of the protest group said they plan to continue attending board meetings to call for Ervin's resignation until he either steps down or leaves office. The board did not publicly respond to Campbell's remarks during the meeting.