A Mississippi elementary teacher was fired after reading a book, titled I Need a New Butt! to a class of second graders.
CNN reported Toby Price, assistant principal at Gary Road Elementary School in Byram, Mississippi was fired last week after reading the book during a Zoom class. Price joined the Zoom call after noticing that the principal did not show up to read to the group of students. Price received approval from his boss prior to to joing the call.
“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, he told NBC news.
Written by Dawn McMillan and illustrated by Ross Kinnaird, the book tells the story of a child looking for a new butt after finding out that he “has a huge crack.” The description continues, “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!”
Price revealed that he has read the book to other schools in the past and never received any backlash. Shortly after reading the book, Price was placed on administraive leave and fired two days later. The assistant principal plans to appeal his termination in an upcoming hearing later this month.
[Via]