TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) – A disturbing display at a Tampa middle school has sparked outrage online, after a teacher was captured on video hanging a Black baby doll using a cord.<\/p>\n
Parents said they are beyond upset, including the mother of a 14-year-old student who was horrified after seeing the video her son recorded.<\/p>\n
The now-viral video clip has been viewed and shared hundreds of thousands of times online.<\/p>\n
It shows Karen Whitmire Savage, a teacher at Barrington Middle School in Tampa, using an electrical cord to suspend the doll from a classroom TV monitor.<\/p>\n
Fourteen-year-old Noah, the student who shot the video, said his classmates initially reacted with nervous laughter, followed by shock as Whitmire Savage, 63, left the doll hanging in front of the class.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe took the charger cord and wrapped it around the baby\u2019s neck and like tied it,\u201d said Noah. \u201cEverybody started telling her it was wrong and racist to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina Williams said her son immediately knew something was wrong and went straight to the school office after class.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still in shock,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The concerned parent said Noah initially hesitated to share the video because he felt intimidated after Whitmire Savage allegedly followed him to the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat 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,\u201d said Williams.<\/p>\n
Whitmire Savage\u2019s personal social media pages described her as a mother, grandmother and longtime educator who calls teaching her \u201cgift and passion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that she\u2019s not allowed to teach again,\u201d said Noah.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Hillsborough County Schools\u2019 superintendent called the display inappropriate, highly offensive and completely unacceptable.<\/p>\n
He confirmed that Whitmire Savage was removed from the school as the District\u2019s Office of Professional Standards investigates.<\/p>\n
School officials said they are committed to making sure students feel respected, safe and supported in their classrooms.<\/p>\n
Parents and students said they are waiting now to see what disciplinary action, if any, the district ultimately takes.<\/p>\n
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