The teacher has been fired and was removed from campus after she confiscated a doll from one of the students and wrapped a cord around its neck before hanging it in the classroom02:28, 22 May 2026A teacher has been fired after a student recorded her wrapping a cord around a black baby doll's neck and hanging it in her classroom in Florida.‌Karen Whitmire Savage, a 63-year-old art teacher at Barrington Middle School in Hillsborough County, took the doll from on of her students, according to the 14-year-old boy who filmed the video.‌Noah, the boy, tolf WTSP-TV that he decided to record the incident as it unfolded on Monday.‌Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Van Ayres condemned what happened the following day and added that Savage had been removed from campus as an investigation is carried out.By Wednesday, it was announced by the school district that Savage had been fired and that her conduct had been reported to the Florida Department of Education's Office of Professional Practice Services.‌A spokesperson for the school district said: "We want to reiterate that we do not tolerate conduct of this nature. We took immediate action and responded swiftly to ensure the situation was handled appropriately."They added that counselors will be made available to students affected by the incident.Noah said that most students laughed nervously at first but once the doll was hung by Savage, the room fell silent.‌"After she took the doll...she took the charger cord and wrapped it around the baby's neck, and tied it," he said."Everybody started telling her it was wrong and racist to do that. And then she said it was just a joke, and then she took down the doll."‌Noah sent the video to his family groupchat and then his mother Nina Williams shared it to Instagram, where it has gained nearly 450,000 likes."Her excuse to our kids was that she did it "to get their attention,"' Williams wrote."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."‌Noah said after the lesson was over he headed to the student affairs office to report what happened and was followed by Savage who continued to speak over him as he explained."It was really disturbing,' he said."I hope that she’s not allowed to teach again. Because she shouldn’t be allowed to teach if she does things like that."‌Williams said the act evoked images of racial violence and lynchings.She said: "That is not something that I expected my children in 2026 to ever have to deal with seeing - a lynching, whether it was real or fake.‌"This will be with my son for the rest of his life."The mother said that she has been contacted by civil rights attorneys and is considering taking legal action against the Hillsborough County School District.However, she did praise the district for acting fast and removing Savage from campus.Article continues below"I do appreciate that. And I am praying that she never gets to return to another school in any county in any state," she said.