Teacher Fired After Video Shows Black Doll With Cord Around Neck in Class

A teacher in Florida has been terminated after video surfaced showing a Black doll hanging from a cord in a classroom, district officials said.

The footage, taken Monday at Barrington Middle School in Lithia, shows art teacher Karen Savage wrapping a charger cord around the doll’s neck and hanging it over a classroom television, according to Nina Williams, whose 14-year-old son captured the incident now being probed by district officials.

​”Look at the photo,” Williams wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “Look at the video. When the children called out this blatant, disgusting act of hate and asked why she hung that doll by its neck, she laughed it off. Her excuse to our kids was that she did it ‘to get their attention.'”

Williams, who could not be reached for comment by Newsweek early Wednesday, said Savage’s actions “deeply offended and disturbed” each child in the multicultural classroom.

“​This is NOT a classroom management tool,” Williams wrote. “This is straight up hate and trauma being weaponized in front of our children in a place where they are supposed to be safe.”

Savage has been terminated from her role and the incident has been reported to the Florida Department of Educations Office of Professional Practice Services for potential action regarding her teaching certificate, according to a statement provided to Newsweek on Wednesday.

“We want to reiterate that we do not tolerate conduct of this nature,” Hillsborough County Public Schools chief of communications Tanya Arja said in a statement. “We took immediate action and responded swiftly to ensure the situation was handled appropriately. Our school counselors and administrators will continue to be available to meet with any students at Barrington Middle School who have concerns or need additional support.”

Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Van Ayres previously denounced Savage’s alleged actions in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times.

“The content of this display is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our school community, or me as your superintendent, and will not be tolerated," he said. “We are committed to fostering a caring, supportive learning environment where every student feels respected, valued, and safe. We recognize that incidents like this cause concern among students, families, and the broader community.”

Williams’ son, Noah Carter, did not attend school on Tuesday, his mother later posted on Facebook.

“After I saw what was happening, I just, like, decided that, like, I wanted to get proof that it actually happened,” Noah told WFLA. “She followed me after class was over, and that’s when she started talking over me and not letting me speak when I was trying to report what she did.”

Noah’s classmates initially laughed nervously before the mood quickly changed, he recalled.

“Everybody started telling her it was wrong and racist to do that," he told WTSP. “And then she said it was just a joke, and then she took down the doll.”

Williams said the incident harkened back to dark times in American history.

“We don't want to remember lynchings and Jim Crow and separation and division, and we try to get away from all of those things," she said. “Our children are supposed to be able to go to school and not have to worry about being reminded of our past, of things that we had to experience.”

Other parents at the school are also demanding accountability.

“To have this depiction done in front of students, where there were African American students in class, it's shameful,” Kimberly Washington told WFLA.

Attempts to reach Savage, 63, were unsuccessful on Wednesday.

Williams, meanwhile, accused the teacher of simulating a “lynching in a classroom” and vowed to not let district officials downplay the incident.

“I already said he is not going back,” she wrote on Facebook late Monday. “I don’t trust them until they get this taken care of and make us feel comfortable. He can do everything from home.”

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 12:25 PM.