‘I Need A New Butt’ Children’s Book Reading Gets Mississippi Assistant Principal Fired

An assistant principal at a Mississippi elementary school was fired after reading the children’s book, “I Need a New Butt,” by Dawn McMillan, to a class of 2nd graders.

Toby Price, who served as the assistant principal at Gary Road Elementary School in Byram, was asked to set up a Zoom class for the students who were supposed to be read to by a guest.

The guest reader failed to make an appearance, so Price was instructed to read to the class.

“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 a news outlet.

The book tells the story of a young child in search of a new butt after he notices his rear end “has a huge crack,” according to the synopsis.

“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,” the description reads. “Children and parents will love this book — no ifs, ands, or butts about it!”

Price revealed it wasn’t the first time he read the book to young students. In the past, he never received any complaints, to his knowledge, which was why he had no hesitations about sharing what he described as “just a fun, silly book” with the 2nd-grade class.

“I didn’t think twice about reading it because I’ve never had an issue with it before. There are other books that have much more suggestive material that are much more widely accepted,” he said.

Following the reading, Price was informed by the school that the book was inappropriate due to the use of words like “butt” and “fart.”

In a termination letter written by Delesicia Martin, superintendent of the Hinds County School District. Price was told he showed “a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment” and would be fired.

Price claimed he would be taking steps to appeal his termination at a hearing scheduled for later this month.