Imagine reading a children’s book to a class full of children and getting fired for it. Well, that’s exactly what happened to an assistant principal at Gary Road Elementary in Mississippi.
When a principal failed to show up to a scheduled Zoom with a second grade class, Toby Price stepped in.
“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 the Associated Press.
The book, according to a description, is about when “a young boy suddenly notices a big problem — his butt has a huge crack! So he sets off to find a new one.”
“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,” it continues.
In Price’s termination letter, the superintendent said he showed “a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment” when he picked the book. Price plans to appeal the termination at a hearing scheduled for March 21.
“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,” Price said. “They just need that reminder that it’s not all bad all the time.”