(The Hill) — An elementary school vice-principal was fired last week for reading a children’s book to a second-grade class deemed inappropriate by school district leaders.
Toby Price was expelled from Gary Road Elementary in Mississippi after reading Dawn McMillan’s “I Need a New Ass” to students, the Associated Press reported.
The book is about a kid who wants a new ass after finding out he “has got a huge crack”.
“Is he going to choose an armored butt? A rocket butt? A robot ass? Find out in this original story of a tail, which features hilarious rhymes and delightful illustrations,” the book reads. “Kids and parents will love this book – no ifs, ands or butts about it!”
Price, who served as the school’s vice principal for three years, called the book ‘funny and silly’ and said he never received any complaints when he read it in other districts schools in the past, according to the AP.
“I was asked to schedule a Zoom where we were going to have a guest reader with the second graders. The Zoom reader didn’t show up and I didn’t get a response, so I was told to go ahead and read,” Price told multiple outlets.
“I didn’t hesitate to read it because I had never had a problem with it before. There are other books that contain much more suggestive material and are much more widely accepted,” he added. The book is suggested for a target audience of four to 10 years old, according to the AP.
Price said he has never had a disciplinary dismissal before and plans to challenge his dismissal at a March 21 hearing.
Hinds County Schools Superintendent Delesicia Martin said Price was fired for “unnecessary embarrassment, lack of professionalism and impaired judgment” in selecting the book, the AP reported.
