Tennessee School Board Member Censured After Controversial Comment

This week, officials in Tennessee moved to censure a school board member for inappropriate remarks made during a recent public meeting.

The Washington County Board of Education held an emergency meeting on Wednesday and unanimously decided to terminate school board member Keith Irvin’s position. This decision came after public outcry and petitions calling for his removal from his role in District 1.

In a video from the April 2 meeting that has spread widely online, Irvin, a local dairy farmer, was seen telling a high school student, “God, you’re hot. You know that? Damn. What school do you go to?” He made this remark while putting his arm around her after discussing careers and technical education.

The girl involved, who serves as a student member on the board, was blurred out in the footage. Other board members laughed lightly at Irvin’s comment as the meeting continued.

Washington County, located in the northeastern corner of Tennessee, is the oldest county in the state and includes Jonesboro, which has a population of around 6,000 residents.

Censuring a board member formally condemns their actions but does not remove them from office. During the emergency meeting, local residents voiced their frustration and called for Irvin to resign.

Irvin read from a prepared statement, expressing that he didn’t mean to offend anyone and suggesting that his comments had been misconstrued. A perplexed board member noted that while the video clip raised concerns, the comments didn’t capture the entirety of the conversation. He mentioned wanting to celebrate the students’ contributions at the previous meeting, noted the girl’s great shape without commenting on her appearance, and expressed surprise at her attendance at his alma mater.

Irvin reiterated that he meant no disrespect and apologized sincerely to the student and her family, framing his comments as a public acknowledgment of her performance on the student council.

However, during his speech, someone in the audience expressed skepticism, accusing him of dishonesty. A concerned father later captured public sentiment, expressing worries about the implications of how adults speak to minors amidst other serious school safety issues.

Irvin, who has been on the board since 2006, is a self-employed dairy farmer and a father of two daughters, both of whom attended Davy Crockett High School. Interestingly, this incident isn’t the first controversy Irvin has faced; he was previously accused of inappropriate behavior in 2009, admitting to lewd actions in front of students and teachers.

At the meeting on Wednesday, two board directors urged Irvin to step down, while others believed his intentions were not malicious. Notably, Irvin is a Republican seeking re-election this year.