A Florida principal who was placed on administrative leave over a song lyric attributed to her in the school yearbook insists she never approved of nor had any input in the quote's inclusion. Katie O'Connell, principal of Trout Creek Academy in St. Johns County, was placed on leave on May 20 after a page in the yearbook dedicated to her featured a lyric from rapper Fetty Wap's 2015 release 'Trap Queen', according to Action News Jax.
Controversial Quote
The controversial quote, which appeared on the first page of the yearbook, read: “Everybody hating, we just call them fans though! - Mrs. O’Connell.” The song itself contains numerous references to drug dealing and strip clubs, leading some angered parents to question whether it was an appropriate choice for a school yearbook display.
The controversy centres on whether O'Connell selected and approved the quote or whether it was added later in the production process. O'Connell maintained that she had no involvement in the selection and was not even aware of the quote's existence until someone sent her screenshots from Facebook.
Principal's Defense
“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,” O'Connell told Action News Jax. “All I needed was the time or the opportunity to have fixed an error that was made, and it wasn’t made by me.”
Two days after receiving her administrative leave letter on May 20, O'Connell received a second letter stating that “this action is being taken as we move towards a non-reappointment for the 2026-2027 school year.”
Colleagues' Support
One colleague came to the principal's defense. Assistant principal Samantha Sawruk wrote in an email obtained by ANJ: “The quote on the first page, which was present after printing, 'Everybody hatin’, we just call them fans though' was not there during the proofreading done on April 9th. This is not how Ms. O’Connell signs her name, she always uses 'Ms. O' as is evident in her weekly communications with families and messages/posters around the school. Had the quote been there at the time of admin editing; it would have been corrected.”
Yearbook teacher Jodi Stobe wrote a similar email of support but gave a conflicting statement to the school district, according to documents obtained by the news outlet. During an interview with the ESE Coordinator of Special Programs, when asked if O'Connell ever saw the quote before Stobe handed out the books, Stobe said: “Yes. Ms. O’Connell said, 'Oh, my quote made it.'”
Legal Response
In a statement to Action News Jax, O'Connell's attorney Jack Webb called the incident “a bunch of garbage” and added, “She’s getting thrown under the bus for something she was not responsible for.” The Daily Mail has reached out to O'Connell for comment.
O'Connell has claimed she has been harassed over the controversy and received a threat that she reported to the local sheriff. She told Action News Jax that she has no qualms about continuing her career in education but not at Trout Creek Academy.
“I have an exemplary record. My school scores are amazing. I have 92% teacher retention. I have five straight years of being highly effective in St. Johns County schools,” she said. “There’s no reason to throw away someone’s career or to hurt a family like this.”
Parent Chris Farlow told St. Johns Citizen: “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.”
