A Florida middle school teacher has been fired after video footage showed her hanging a black baby doll from a television monitor in her classroom to simulate a racial lynching.
The incident occurred at Barrington Middle School in Hillsborough County. The issue came to light when a mother wrote a post on Facebook in which she said her son recorded former art teacher Karen Savage hanging the doll. “I raised my children to know right from wrong, and he knew this could not go unseen,” she wrote. “I immediately headed to the school to pick him up and speak with admin!!”
🚨 Racist Florida teacher removed after hanging Black baby doll in classroom
— i Expose Racists & Pedos (@SeeRacists) May 20, 2026
This one is disturbing. An art teacher at Barrington Middle School in Florida allegedly wrapped a charger cord around a Black baby doll’s neck and hung it over a classroom TV as a “display.”
When… pic.twitter.com/tyq2GQadDD
Another angle 😳 pic.twitter.com/C5MsjfWOLz
— i Expose Racists & Pedos (@SeeRacists) May 20, 2026
Nina Williams, the mother, explained that Savage “took the time to wrap a charger cord around a Black baby doll’s neck and hang it directly over the classroom television for the entire room to see.”
The mother noted that “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.”
The teacher told the students that she hung the doll “to get their attention.”
This emotionally affected ALL the children in that classroom. My son's friends of different cultures and races were all deeply offended and disturbed by this racist act. These kids stood united, grabbed evidence, and wrote official statements today.
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.
We spoke to the principal, and we are told the decision is now in the hands of the Hillsborough County school board / Professional Standards department. We are watching closely, and we are waiting to see exactly what this district is going to do. Will they protect our children, or will they protect a teacher who simulates a lynching in a classroom? This will NOT be swept under the rug!!
Noah, the student who recorded the video, said Savage confiscated the doll from one of his classmates because she was frustrated that the kids were not paying attention. He told WTSP that the students “started telling her it was wrong and racist to do that” and that “she said it was just a joke, and then she took down the doll.”
He reported the incident to members of the school administration and said the teacher followed him to the student affairs office. Noah said Savage tried to speak over him when he explained what happened in the classroom.
Noah’s mother told the news outlet that she was “still in shock” and that she is “trying to figure out where her mind was at.”
Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Van Ayres on Tuesday condemned Savage’s actions and explained that the teacher was removed from campus. On Wednesday, the district confirmed it had fired the teacher and that “the incident has been reported to the Florida Department of Education's Office of Professional Practice Services for any action regarding her teaching certificate.”