Florida Principal Put on Leave After Fetty Wap Lyric Appears in Yearbook Under Her Name

Katie O'Connell says she didn't write it. She says it wasn't even in the yearbook when she approved it. And she found out about it the same way everyone else did — through screenshots on Facebook.

The principal of Trout Creek Academy in St. Johns County, Florida is now on paid administrative leave after the school's yearbook featured a lyric from Fetty Wap's 2015 song Trap Queen attributed directly to her on the first page.

The line read: "Everybody hating, we just call them fans though! - Mrs. O'Connell."

Some parents immediately recognized it as a rap lyric. Others saw it as a pointed message directed at families who had raised complaints about the school. Either way it landed badly and the district moved fast.

What O'Connell Says

She says she approved the yearbook twice on April 9 alongside her assistant principal — and the quote was not in the book either time they reviewed it.

"That quote in that area was not even in the book," she told a local news station. She also pointed out she's not typically called "Mrs. O'Connell" — she goes by "Miss O" — which she said makes it even less likely she would have written it that way.

Her theory is that someone added the quote after the administration signed off. She's not naming names but is pointing to the possibility that a student inserted it into the final version after the review process was complete.

Her assistant principal backed her up in an email stating the quote wasn't there during the night-before-submission proofread. "Had the quote been there at the time of admin editing, it would have been corrected," the assistant principal wrote.

The Conflicting Story

The yearbook teacher told a different version. She allegedly told a district coordinator that O'Connell had seen the quote before the yearbooks were handed out and even commented on it — "Oh, my quote made it," the teacher reportedly claimed O'Connell said.

That's a direct contradiction of everything O'Connell has said publicly. The conflicting accounts are at the center of what the district is now investigating.

What the District Did

O'Connell received a letter placing her on paid administrative leave starting May 20 for alleged "inappropriate conduct." A second letter informed her the district is moving toward not reappointing her for the 2026-2027 school year. She's also been told she cannot set foot on any district property.

Her attorney called the whole situation "a bunch of garbage" and said his client is "getting thrown under the bus for something she was not responsible for."

O'Connell said she's received harassment and at least one threat serious enough to report to the local sheriff. She also laid out her track record — five straight years rated highly effective, 92% teacher retention, strong school scores.

"There's no reason to throw away someone's career or to hurt a family like this," she said.

She told the station she wants to keep working as a principal — just not at Trout Creek Academy anymore.

What Parents Are Saying

Reactions from the community are mixed. Some parents believe the quote was deliberately placed to target families who had complained about school leadership. Others are worried that pushing out a well-regarded principal over something she may not have done will ultimately hurt the kids.

"If you start getting rid of the best of the best, who are we going to have to teach our children to be the best that they can be," one parent said.

The district hasn't publicly commented on the specifics. The yearbook is already in students' hands. The Fetty Wap lyric is already on the first page.

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