Granted, the Hinds County assistant principal didn’t use the best judgment when he decided to read a children’s book called “I Need a New Butt!” to a group of second graders.
Although some parents would find the book funny, others might think it vulgar. Better to play it safe than go there.
Still, the school district overreacted by firing Toby Price, giving into a movement in this country that regularly surfaces in which parents and others with a political agenda make a stink about the reading material to which students are exposed.
Our guess is that most of those second graders have heard or seen a lot worse in their own homes or on TV than what is in that book. We doubt many of the youngsters were scarred by the reading experience.
Price may have earned a good talking to for not thinking through the headache he was creating for his bosses in the school district. But a fireable offense?
The Hinds County School Board was itself divided on that question, voting 2-1, with two other members abstaining, to uphold the superintendent’s decision to fire the educator. Price says he’s not giving up and will appeal his termination in chancery court. A crowd-sourcing effort has raised enough money to go even further than that.
If we were the judge, based on the facts we’ve seen, we’d tell the district to give Price back his job.
