COLUMBIA HEIGHTS — A Columbia Heights school board member says he won’t resign after fellow board members called for him to step down because of an offensive social media comment about Muslims.

The school board passed a resolution Tuesday saying Grant Nichols should resign. An effort to force Nichols off the school board failed by a single vote at a special board meeting last week.

Nichols has denied writing the comment posted from his Facebook account that described the bathroom habits of Muslims as “unsanitary.” He was at Tuesday’s meeting and told reporters afterward that he wouldn’t step down.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton visited Columbia Heights High School on Friday, praising students for staging a peaceful protest. He said Nichols should step down or be forced to resign.