The school district reportedly fired the assistant principle at an elementary school after the educator read a children’s book to a second-grade class. The education administrator said that he used to read the book at his previous school and didn’t think twice about sharing it with the second-graders. The superintendent of the school district wrote in his termination letter that the educator reportedly showed a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment when he picked the book. For those reasons, he was fired.
The assistant principle at an elementary school in Mississippi, Toby Price, said he was asked to set up a Zoom class for the kids.
The educator, who worked at Gary Road Elementary School, said that when the principal didn’t show up to the class as planned, he was instructed to read them a book.
The former assistant principle, Tobey Price, told NBC News: “I text my boss, she said, ‘Well, go ahead and read.’ I wasn’t planning on reading, but I went ahead and grabbed one of my books that I had nearby. One of my favorites. I read it: ‘I Need a New Butt!’ It’s hilarious. I never had an issue with it. It’s just a fun, silly book.”
The education administrator also said that he used to read the book at his previous school and didn’t think twice about sharing it with the second-graders.
Five minutes after the class ended, the educator was called to the principal’s office and told that parents might complain. He was told to report to the district office the same day and was sent home on administrative leave.
No parents have complained about the book, Price reportedly said.
Nevertheless the school took issue, telling Price, who was assistant principal at the school for three years, that it was inappropriate because it used words like ‘butt’ and ‘fart’ and included cartoon images of a child’s butt.
The superintendent of the school district wrote in his termination letter that the educator reportedly showed a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment when he picked the book. For those reasons, he was fired, per reports.
The book ‘I Need a New Butt!,’ is written by Dawn McMillan and it is described as a children’s book. In it, a young child tries to find a new butt after he discovers his has a huge crack, a description reads.
“Will he choose an armor-plated butt? A rocket butt? A robot butt? Find out in this quirky tale of a tail, which features hilarious rhymes and delightful illustrations. Children and parents will love this book — no ifs, ands, or butts about it!” the book reads.
Price said that the school’s reaction was unwarranted and that silly books should be allowed.
The former assistant principle, Tobey Price, also said: “If I had to do it all over again, I’d still share the silly, funny books with the kids, because they need them.
The world’s a serious, harsh, dark place, and everybody needs a little bit of silly and a little bit of laughs every now and then. They just need that reminder that it’s not all bad all the time.”
He reportedly plans to appeal his termination at a hearing scheduled for March 21. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.