A Florida principal has been sidelined over a rap lyric she says she never signed off on. Katie O'Connell of Trout Creek Academy in St. Johns County has been placed on paid administrative leave after the first page of the school's yearbook featured a line from Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen": "Everybody hating, we just call them fans though!" attributed to "Mrs. O'Connell." The district cited "inappropriate conduct" and has moved toward not renewing her for the 2026-27 school year, while banning her from district property without authorization, reports Action News Jax.
The St. Johns Citizen, which has a photo of the yearbook page with the quote, notes that the song features lyrics about strip joints and drug transactions, which prompted parent complaints. O'Connell insists she neither wrote nor approved the quote and says it wasn't in the version she and her assistant principal proofed. Emails from both the assistant principal and the yearbook teacher back her up, stating the quote appeared only after O'Connell had reviewed the page. The yearbook teacher also made the assumption that "the students noticed there was no quote and added what they thought was best," per First Coast News.
But a district interview transcript also shows the yearbook teacher later saying that O'Connell remarked, "Oh, my quote made it," per Action News Jax. O'Connell and her attorney argue she's being scapegoated, say a student likely inserted the line after approval, and claim O'Connell was denied due process. The principal also notes that she mainly refers to herself as "Mrs. O" at school in front of students and staff, not "Mrs. O'Connell," as the yearbook page showed. O'Connell says she's since been harassed online and received at least one threat, which spurred her to contact the local sheriff. She says she hopes to remain a principal, though not at Trout Creek.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
