(NEW YORK)— PEN America today welcomed a court order reinstating Toby Price, a Hinds County, MS elementary school assistant principal, four years after he was fired for reading students the funny children’s picture book I Need a New Butt!
“We are grateful for the court’s ruling,” said Jonathan Friedman, PEN America’s Sy Syms managing director for U.S. Free Expression Programs. “This decision corrects a serious injustice. Toby’s life was thrown into chaos simply because some administrators were offended by the descriptions of natural bodily functions in a well-known book he read to students. This episode shows just how damaging censorship can be.”
A Mississippi court of appeals ordered the Hinds County School District to reinstate Price on Tuesday. PEN America had called for his reinstatement immediately after his firing in 2022.
Reacting to the ruling, Price said: “This ruling affirms that reading joyful, sometimes silly books to children is not misconduct — it’s education. I’m thankful the court understood that fostering a love of reading should never be grounds for punishment, and I hope this helps protect educators who are simply trying to do right by kids.”
I Need a New Butt! by Dawn McMillan is a popular children’s book about a boy who discovers a crack in his bottom and goes on a humorous quest to find a replacement, considering silly options like rocket, robot, or armor-plated butts. Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird, the book is known for its funny rhymes, toilet humor, and imaginative illustrations; it’s the first in a series that includes I Broke My Butt! and My Butt is SO NOISY!
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057