A middle school art teacher in Florida has lost her job after a student recorded her wrapping a cord around a Black baby doll’s neck and hanging it from the TV in class.
Karen Whitmire Savage, 63, was teaching at Barrington Middle School in Lithia, Hillsborough County, when she confiscated the doll from a pupil and used it during the lesson on Monday.
In the video that spread quickly online, Savage loops the charger cord around the doll’s neck, steps up, and slings it over the top of a large wall-mounted television so it hangs there in front of the students. Some kids can be heard reacting with “Oh my God.”
14-year-old Noah Carter filmed the moment. He later told reporters he wanted proof of what he saw. After class, when he went to report it, Savage allegedly followed him and talked over him so he couldn’t explain what happened to the school staff.
Noah’s mother, Nina Williams, posted the clip online. She said Savage laughed it off and told the class it was “just a joke” or a way to grab their attention.
Hillsborough County Public Schools moved fast. Superintendent Van Ayres called the act inappropriate and offensive. The district removed Savage from campus right away, fired her effective immediately, and reported her to the Florida Department of Education for review of her teaching certificate. They also offered counseling to students.
Some parents said the incident was disturbing and would stick with the kids. Others online questioned the full context, suggesting she might have simply used the doll as a weight to run the cord over the TV. Savage has not made any public statement.
The school confirmed her termination this week.
