Florida principal is placed on leave and banned from campus over a Fetty Wap ‘Trap Queen’ lyric credited to her in the yearbook

A principal at Trout Creek Academy in Florida has been placed on administrative leave and barred from campus after a yearbook controversy, according to St. John’s Citizen. Principal Katie O’Connell appears to be facing the end of her career at the school after a quote attributed to her appeared in the 2026 yearbook.

The quote appears to be a line from a 2014 song Trap Queen by Fetty Wap: “Everybody hating, we just call them fans though!” While the lyric itself may seem harmless on its own, the song’s subject matter apparently upset several parents, says Brobible.

The song in question is about the life of a drug dealer and his partner, a theme that some families reportedly found inappropriate for a school publication. But according to St. John’s Citizen, O’Connell has said she had nothing to do with the quote being included.

Principal says the lyric was not in any of the proofs she reviewed

O’Connell claims the lyric was not present in any of the proofs that she or other staff members checked before the yearbook went to print. It is currently unclear, investigators say, who added the line to the final version of the book.

According to county records cited by St. John’s Citizen, O’Connell’s administrative leave began on May 20, with school officials citing allegations of “inappropriate conduct.” In addition to being placed on leave, she has reportedly been banned from school grounds. The school has already reportedly informed her that her contract will not be renewed for the next school year, according to a May 22 letter reviewed by St. John’s Citizen. Her leave is set to run until her contract officially ends on June 30, per those same records.

The reaction from the community apparently has been strong. Several parents reportedly filed formal complaints with the school shortly after the yearbook was released. Several parents expressed concerns that the lyric may have been intended as a mockery, according to the outlet. Fetty Wap, the rapper behind the song, has his own controversies, including how he lost his eye.

He also has a complicated legal history, including an arrest for allegedly threatening to kill someone while flashing a gun on a FaceTime call, which violated his bail conditions at the time. As it stands, O’Connell remains off the job while the school moves forward without her, according to reports.