Mississippi
Mississippi court overturns firing of educator terminated for reading children’s book
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – After nearly four years of waiting, checking court websites repeatedly for a decision that never seemed to come, Toby Price finally got the answer he was searching for: vindication.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals has overturned the firing of the former Gary Road Elementary School assistant principal, who was terminated in March 2022 for reading “I Need a New Butt!” to a group of second graders during Read Across America Day.
The court’s decision came down Jan. 27, marking a major victory for Price after multiple hearings sided with the Hinds County School District’s decision to fire him.
“I didn’t believe it at first, because I sat at the computer like some kind of nerd each week, reloading the pages to see if there’s a decision, reload, reload, reload,” Price said in an exclusive interview with 3 On Your Side. “And then one morning I got on and reload, and there was something there. My wife had texted me and I said, ‘I think we won.’ And she called me on the phone and she was crying.”
The appeals court found the school district had no substantive reason to terminate Price. Judges noted there were no parent complaints on file, no student complaints, and only vague criticism from teachers who said they “wouldn’t have picked that book.”
More significantly, the court found the school library contained books with similar or worse content than the book Price read — a finding the judges called “whimsical” decision-making on the part of the school board.
“They went through the book itself, they were able to see that there are so many other books in the library that have similar content and or worse content in some cases that are apparently okay. And it was very inconsistent,” Price said.
The court wrote in its decision: “There is nothing concrete in the record demonstrating that the second-grade class was subjected to ‘unnecessary embarrassment.’ No child or group of children was singled out during the reading, and Price acknowledged the outlandish nature of the book’s premise.”
This ruling reversed a 2024 Chancery Court decision that upheld his firing and came after oral arguments before the Mississippi Court of Appeals in September 2025.
Yet even with the court’s vindication, four years of public scrutiny have left their mark on Price and his family. The visibility of the case — which drew national attention — has followed him into everyday life.
A year ago, Price said a stranger in a Walmart checkout line recognized him and hurled a slur at him, calling him a pedophile while his children were present.
“It was all I could do not to break down because I’m not going to break down in front of somebody like that,” Price said. “But it still hurts.”
The incident was witnessed by a checkout clerk who had known Price and his family for years. She defended him publicly in that moment, telling the man, “I’ve been checking you and your family out at this door for years, since they were babies. And there are a lot of things I could call you. But that ain’t it.”
Still, Price said the damage to his reputation persists despite the legal victory.
“So, yes, we get vindicated by the decision, but the visibility like that doesn’t go away,” he said. “And the narrative that they tried to spin is really hard to make that wash off.”
This reality stands in stark contrast to when Price first spoke out about his firing in 2023, expressing hope that the legal process would clear his name.
The appeals court’s decision means Price is eligible for reinstatement and four years of back pay. However, Price said he is uncertain whether he will return to the Hinds County School District — the same district that fired him.
His position was filled four years ago, and Price expressed concerns about returning to work for the same school board members who terminated him, citing fears of potential retaliation.
“My goal is to find a way that I can still help kids and parents and students but not take away from the mission of schools,” Price said. “I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet. But we will find out.”
During the four years away from education, Price pivoted to writing. He has authored children’s books in “The Almost True Adventures of Titus the Monkey” series, which focuses on autism awareness. He is currently finishing a third book in the series and working on a non-fiction memoir about his family and his experiences.
“I love telling stories, and that I could spread some autism awareness, make kids laugh at the same time,” Price said.
Price’s attorney will meet with the Hinds County School District to negotiate details of reinstatement and back pay. A Chancery Court hearing is expected to occur within approximately 30 days to finalize the settlement package.
Despite the uncertainty, Price said he is choosing to move forward with faith.
“When you have a lot of what you kind of base your identity on stripped away or taken away from you, there’s nothing left. So you got to have faith that tomorrow is just going to be okay,” he said. “I don’t know what the answers are going to be tomorrow. I don’t know what tomorrow is going to look like, but I’m gonna be okay.”
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Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball beats Cincinnati 10-5, moves within one win of regional title – SuperTalk Mississippi
Tomas Valincius struck out 10, Ace Reese and Kevin Milewski homered, and Reed Stallman knocked in three runs to lead Mississippi State to a 10-5 victory in the winner’s bracket game of the Starkville Regional on Saturday night.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (42-17) managed early behind another standout performance from Valincius, who allowed two runs over 7.1 innings to earn his 11th win of the season.
Valincius was supported offensively by Reese’s solo home run in the first inning, a run two-seed Cincinnati (38-21) responded to in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Bulldogs broke open the game with three runs in the fifth inning, then followed with four more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to build a 10-1 lead.
As part of the surge, Stallman knocked in three runs on two doubles, Gehrig Frei hit a two-run single, Bryce Chance drove in one, and Milewski hit a two-run shot. Vytas Valincius, Tomas’ brother, crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
Cincinnati worked to chip away late, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Bearcats scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth before Mississippi State reliever Ben Davis limited the damage by getting the final outs to end the ballgame.
Mississippi State is now just one win away from winning its first regional championship since 2021 – the same year the Bulldogs won the College World Series. Mississippi State will play the winner of Sunday afternoon’s elimination game between Cincinnati and Louisiana at 7 p.m. If Mississippi State drops the game, a winner-take-all final will be played Monday.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Reese gets it started
Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.
Bulldogs score three in the fifth
Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.
Four more in the sixth
Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.
Stallman extends lead in the seventh
The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.
Valincius dominates on the mound
Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.
Offensive leaders
Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.
Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.
Up next
The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program announced Saturday that contestants competing for the title in 2026 will be eligible for the organization’s largest scholarship offerings in its 77-year history.
Contestants will be eligible for more than $105,000 in scholarships and prizes, including $32,500 in direct cash scholarships.
The winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 cash scholarship, tuition scholarships, travel opportunities and a total prize package valued at $27,000. The first alternate will receive a cash scholarship of $6,000, the second will receive $3,500, the third will receive $2,500 and the fourth will receive $2,000.
During Saturday’s announcement, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program also revealed that the winning cash scholarship will be named for Bonnie Warren.
Warren has spent decades supporting tourism, hospitality and economic development efforts across Mississippi. She also helped move the Miss Hospitality Program from Starkville to Hattiesburg in 1998 and has remained one of its strongest advocates.
The theme for this year’s Miss Hospitality will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The competition will take place July 17-18 in Hattiesburg. Tickets will go on sale in two weeks.
The Miss Hospitality Program was founded in 1949.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
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