Book Controversy Leads to Assistant Principal's Firing After Class Reading

A man in Mississippi said he was fired from his position as an elementary school assistant principal because of the book he chose to read aloud to a group of second-grade students.

The former assistant principal, identified by local media outlets as Toby Price, was working at Gary Road Elementary School in the Hinds County School District (HCSD) at the time he lost his job. His termination comes amid a push in some states for education officials to review the content included in books identified as potentially controversial and make decisions about whether certain books should be eliminated from school libraries.

In Price's case, he said the book that led to his dismissal was I Need a NEW BUTT!, a children's book written by Dawn McMillan with illustrations by Ross Kinnaird. The book is part of a series created by the same team and published by Dover Publications.

In a 2018 Publisher's Weekly article, Dover publisher Jennifer Feldman said the book is "ridiculous the way kids like to be ridiculous," explaining why the company was initially attracted to the book.

Price told the Jackson-based news station WLBT that he did not have any disciplinary issues prior to his termination last week and said he has read the book for students in the past while working at other school districts.

"I didn't think twice about reading it because I've never had an issue with it before," he told the station.

The second-grade students are going to a new school next year, Price said, and he was in the process of coordinating a Zoom event for the children and the person who will serve as their new principal. The new principal was going to read to the students, but Price said his boss told him to "go ahead and read" when the new principal "didn't show" to the Zoom event.

"I grabbed one of my favorite books that I had nearby. I read it to them," Price told the station.

After the reading, Price said he received a termination letter from the HCSD superintendent saying in part that he displayed "a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment" in his book selection, according to WLBT.

Dover Publications' description for the book says it is about a boy who "suddenly notices a big problem—his butt has a huge crack!"

"So he sets off to find a new one," the publisher's description adds. It goes on to describe the book as one both children and their parents will "love" with "hilarious rhymes" and "delightful illustrations."

Price described the book as "funny" and "silly."

"If you don't let kids see funny and silly books, they're not going to stick around long enough to find out that books can be other things than funny and silly," he told the station. He later added: "That's what this book was for."

WLBT reported Price is seeking to reverse his termination and encourage the use of lighthearted reading materials in educational settings.

Newsweek reached out to the district for comment and will update this article with any response.