Video released of Iowa principal who allegedly told female student to 'hold his banana'

After a nearly yearlong public records battle, video has been released of an Iowa school principal disciplined for dressing in a banana costume and allegedly asking a female student to “hold his banana” — referencing a piece of the outfit that protruded from between his legs.

The incident involving Fort Madison Middle School Principal Todd Dirth occurred last year during a Dec. 13 school assembly.

The video shows Dirth leading a girl to the school’s gymnasium floor in front of hundreds of students. What is said is not discernible, but the video shows the girl quickly pulling back her hand before Dirth pulls the end of the banana between his legs. The girl then returns to her seat in the gym.

Dirth, who remains as the school’s principal, was disciplined as a result of the incident but the district has refused to say how. 

The district obtained video of the incident from an audience member as part of its investigation but refused to make the footage public, citing a provision in Iowa law that allows government officials to keep some personnel records confidential.

Employees from two eastern Iowa news organizations — the Pen City Current and Tri State Public Radio — argued that declaring the video confidential violates Iowa’s public records law, since the video itself was not a personnel record.

The school allowed the news organizations to view the footage last month in a session held at the district. But district officials prohibited the news employees from bringing their cell phones or equipment and initially denied them a copy.

The school released copies of the video to the Register this week after the paper argued that it is illegal for the district to allow access to a public record to some but not to all.

Dirth did not return a call for comment Thursday. He hung up when the Register reached him in July about the incident.

Dirth has been the subject of multiple complaints by parents or former students about his behavior going back as far as 2012. In one case, former student Seth Wright alleged Dirth had ripped a safety pin from his lip he was wearing to keep a piercing from closing.

In another, parent Heather Wellman said Dirth had struck the back of her son’s head.

Fort Madison schools issued a statement with the release of the video that said Dirth “has been and continues to be a valued employee” of the district.