Principal placed on administrative leave after Fetty Wap lyric attributed to her in yearbook, reports say

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) - A principal in Florida was placed on administrative leave after a Fetty Wap lyric was attributed to her in the school’s yearbook.

Katie O’Connell, the principal of Trout Creek Academy in St. Johns County, was placed on administrative leave after a lyric from the rapper’s 2015 song “Trap Queen” was attributed to her on the first page of the yearbook, according to Action News Jax.

The lyric comes from a song containing references to drug dealing and strip clubs, leading some parents to question whether it was the right call for a school yearbook.

The Trout Creek Academy yearbook page read, “Everybody hating, we just call them fans though! -Mrs. O’Connell.”

However, O’Connell claims she did not write or approve the quote.

“I approved the yearbook twice on April 9, and so did my assistant principal, [Samantha Sawruk], and that quote in that area was not even in the book,” she said.

O’Connell received a letter from the St. Johns County School District stating that she would be placed on paid administrative leave beginning May 20 after an allegation of “inappropriate conduct.”

A second letter said that “this action is being taken as we move towards a non-reappointment for the 2026-2027 school year.”

O’Connell was also informed that she is not allowed on the property of the school district.

The controversy centers on whether O’Connell selected or approved the quote or whether it was added later in the production process without her knowledge, St. Johns Citizen reported.

“There were certain parents that went straight to the district, or straight to the news, or straight to Facebook. None of them even called me. I received zero phone calls, or emails, or any questions about the yearbook,” she said. “All I needed was the time or the opportunity to have fixed an error that was made, and it wasn’t made by me.”

The principal’s attorney Jack Webb called the incident “a bunch of garbage” in a statement to Jax Action News.

“She’s getting thrown under the bus for something she was not responsible for,” he said.

O’Connell says she wants to return as a principal, but it won’t be at Trout Creek Academy.