A Florida elementary and middle school principal has been placed on paid administrative leave after a lyric from rapper Fetty Wap’s 2015 hit song “Trap Queen” was printed in the school’s yearbook and attributed to her.
Katie O’Connell, principal of Trout Creek Academy, a K-8 school in St. Johns County, was placed on leave starting around May 20, 2026, following complaints from parents who described the quote as unprofessional and inappropriate for a school publication.
The quote, printed on the first page of the 2025-2026 yearbook next to a photo of the school, read: “Everybody hating, we just call them fans though! — Mrs. O’Connell.”
The line is a direct reference to lyrics from “Trap Queen,” a song that, while containing references to drug dealing and street life, features the quoted line as one of its more widely recognized and relatively tame hooks.
O’Connell has strongly denied any involvement in the quote’s inclusion. In statements to local media, including Action News Jax, she said she and her assistant principal, Samantha Sawruk, reviewed and approved the yearbook on April 9, 2025, and the Fetty Wap lyric was not present at that time.
“I did not write it. I did not suggest it. I did not approve it,” O’Connell told reporters. She also pointed out that the attribution used “Mrs. O’Connell,” while she is known to students and staff as “Miss O” or “Ms. O,” further evidence, she says, that the quote was not from her.
O’Connell stated she first learned about the quote when it began circulating online. She believes the line was inserted after the final approval, possibly by students or yearbook staff. A statement from the yearbook teacher reportedly supports her claim that the quote was absent during proofreading.
The St. Johns County School District responded by halting further distribution of the yearbooks and launching an investigation into “inappropriate conduct.” Shortly after being placed on leave, O’Connell received notice that the district is moving toward non-reappointment for the 2026-2027 school year.
The district has not publicly identified who added the quote or how it made it into the final printed version.
Some parents expressed concern that the quote was unprofessional for a K-8 school environment and interpreted it as a defensive response to critics of the school’s administration. Others have come to O’Connell’s defense, arguing the punishment appears disproportionate for what they describe as an editing error or student prank.
As of early June 2026, O’Connell remains on paid administrative leave and is barred from school property while the investigation continues. She has expressed a desire to continue working as a principal, though not necessarily at Trout Creek Academy.
