‘Unbelievable’: Florida Teacher Suspended After Viral Video Shows Her Hanging Black Baby Doll By Its Neck, Then Old Accusations Suddenly Came Flooding Back
A Florida school district is investigating a viral video of one of its middle school teachers hanging a Black baby doll by wrapping a cord around its neck in the front of a classroom full of students.
In the original video, posted Monday by Nina Williams on Facebook, a woman hangs the doll in the corner, under a television. Williams identified her as Karen Savage, her son’s art teacher at Barrington Middle School.
“His art teacher 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,” Williams said. “Look at the photo. 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.”
Williams claimed Savage told the students she hung the doll up to “get their attention.”
“This emotionally affected ALL the children in that classroom,” Williams said. “My son’s friends of different cultures and races were all deeply offended and disturbed by this racist act.”
Atlanta Black Star called the Hillsborough County Public School System’s main office to get more information about what happened.
One spokesperson told our reporter that a student had brought the doll into class that day and was being disruptive with it. That prompted Savage to take it away.
Our reporter asked the spokesperson about the claim regarding Savage wanting to “get the students’ attention.”
“I’m not sure; she used to teach elementary school,” the spokesperson replied.
The spokesperson added that a student told Savage what she did was racist. They claimed Savage took the doll down right away.
Many people online had their own experiences with the school and the teacher.
“I think my son had her as a teacher. Both my kids went to this school (but are not in high school now), and I remember he did not like her. I remember he did not like her. I remember because the name fit her personality,” Whitney Krings wrote on Facebook.
“Man, I took my baby out of this school in 6th grade; the racism my baby felt there, and the way they try to make the Black kids at that school like aggressors!” Ashley Nicole added.
“Unbelievable. This is horrific. She should be fired immediately,” Yasmeen Salhab wrote.
“I used to have her, and she would always get mad at the kids who were Black/Hispanic, and she would target my friends and me, even though we were just sitting there as she was yelling at someone for something they didn’t even do,” Victoria Ramirez-Netro commented.
The school district removed Savage from the school pending the investigation, according to school officials.
The school district sent Atlanta Black Star a statement from Superintendent Van Ayres, confirming the internal investigation:
I am aware of an inappropriate and highly offensive display that occurred in a classroom at Barrington Middle School yesterday.
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.
As soon as school administrators were made aware, they took immediate action and referred the matter to the district’s Office of Professional Standards.
The staff member involved has been removed from the school.
Please know that I take this matter extremely seriously and will continue to address it with transparency and urgency.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Williams for comment, but has not heard back.