A Florida teacher has been fired after she allegedly hung a Black doll by its neck in the classroom to get students’ attention. 63-year-old Karen Whitmire Savage is an arts teacher at Glenn Barrington Middle School in Lithia, Hillsborough County, Florida. On Monday, May 18, Savage shocked her students during class when she allegedly wrapped a cable wire around the neck of a Black doll and hung it over a flat-screen television, CBS affiliate WTSP-TV reported.
One of the students in the class, Noah Carter, 14, recorded the end of the disturbing episode on his phone. Talking to WTSP, Carter alleged that Savage grabbed the doll from one of her students and then hung it from the television when no one was watching. Carter said that everybody in the class told Savage that her act was “wrong and racist,” but that she dismissed it as “just a joke” before taking the doll down.
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He further added that when he attempted to report Savage to the Student Affairs Office, the Florida teacher followed him and obstructed him from recounting what had gone down by talking over him. Carter said that the ordeal was “really disturbing” for him and hoped that Savage would no longer be allowed to teach.
Carter’s mom, Nina Williams, shared the video on her Facebook account. It soon went viral, racking up a million views and igniting viral outrage across social media. “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 wrote on the social media platform.
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Continuing further, Savage added that the incident had emotionally affected all the children in their classroom. Savage stated that their son’s friends from different cultures and racial backgrounds had all been deeply offended and disturbed by the racist act. Savage further mentioned that the children had united to gather evidence and write official statements that day.
” This is NOT a classroom management tool. This is straight-up hate and trauma being weaponized in front of our children in a place where they are supposed to be safe,” she added. Although Savage was initially awaiting an internal probe after being removed from the classroom, the Hillsborough County School District announced on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, that she had been fired.
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Superintendent Van Ayres publicly condemned Savage’s conduct as “inappropriate, highly offensive, and completely unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Williams told WTSP that she might take legal action against the district. She also added in the comments section of her Facebook post that she would not send her son back to school until the matter is resolved.
“I don’t trust them until they get this taken care of and make us feel comfortable. He can do everything from home,” Williams wrote.
