The high school principal who was placed on administrative leave over a Fetty Wap lyric just received a note from the rapper himself.
On May 20, Katie O’Connell, a school principal in St. Johns County, Florida, was placed on administrative leave with pay amid an investigation into alleged “inappropriate conduct.”
The issue stemmed from a lyric from Fetty Wap’s song Trap Queen being printed in the school’s yearbook and attributed to her.
Image credits: harlemfetty
The yearbook reportedly contained an image of the school alongside the quote, “Everybody hating, we just call them fans though! — Mrs. O’Connell.”
O’Connell denies writing or approving the quote. She claimed the final version of the yearbook she approved did not feature the song lyric and that she is usually referred to as “Miss O” instead of “Mrs. O’Connell.”
“That page was not in there,” she told People magazine. “There was not a placeholder for it. Nothing to indicate that anything would be added.”
Image credits: Irina Iriser/pexels (not an actual photo)
Image credits: jehangeer_hasan
According to the principal, she first learned of the quote after seeing screenshots of the yearbook on Facebook.
“I’m like, ‘Okay, but [I’ll] put a pin in that for a minute because I have 5,000 other things to do,’” she explained.
However, the yearbooks were allegedly distributed four days earlier than scheduled, so she did not have time to remove the quote.
Image credits: St. Johns Citizen
A few days later, O’Connell received a letter informing her of her leave. She said the school made the decision despite receiving no complaints from parents about the quote.
“They didn’t say, ‘Hey, we’ve received an email from a parent,’ or, ‘We received a parent phone call,’ or anything like that,” she claimed, calling the situation “so unusual.”
On Thursday (June 4), O’Connell revealed that Fetty Wap was aware of the incident involving his song and had made a sweet gesture toward her.
Image credits: St. Johns Citizen
Image credits: DarksideAura
To show his support for the Trout Creek Academy principal, the famous rapper sent her a bouquet of white roses, along with a note and colorful balloons.
“Principal O’Connell, I hope these flowers lift up your spirit, wishing you the best,” the note read. “God bless from Fetty Wap and the team.”
The song at the center of the controversy, Trap Queen, was released in 2015 but became a hit this year following Fetty’s early release from prison. The rapper was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances.
Image credits: MaziEzike_Nedu
It remains unclear whether O’Connell actually knew about the yearbook quote attributed to her.
A teacher who oversaw the yearbook’s final draft stated that the principal did not see the quote. But documents sent to the school district show that the same teacher allegedly told an official that, after O’Connell saw the yearbook, she said, “Oh, my quote made it.”
Image credits: St. Johns Magazine
“I can’t really explain her actions,” the principal told People. “It’s disappointing that she gave contradictory information in her interview versus her written statement that she provided right when it happened.”
A WJXT report mentions a parent who allegedly sent a letter to St. Johns County Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen to complain about the “unprofessional” quote.
“While some may view it as humorous, many parents feel this was inappropriate and unprofessional coming from a school leader responsible for setting the tone and example for young adults,” the letter read.
Image credits: St. Johns Magazine
Image credits: SGR5N
“A principal represents leadership, maturity, and professionalism. Referring to criticism or concerned parents as ‘haters’ in a school publication sends the wrong message to children and families,” the parent allegedly wrote.
“This may seem minor to some, but it reflects a broader concern about professionalism and the culture being modeled within the school.”
Image credits: News4JAX
In a letter, the school informed O’Connell that her contract as principal would not be renewed for the 2026–2027 school year.
On Tuesday (June 9), the school board will meet to discuss her non-reappointment, which would take effect on June 30.
O’Connell, who has been in school leadership for 18 years and had worked at the school for two years, said the incident has “destroyed” her career.
“It’s over. I can’t do this again. I can’t. They’ve ruined that possibility for me and they’ve so disparaged my reputation.”
Image credits: harlemfetty
Despite the consequences linked to Fetty’s song, O’Connell now loves Trap Queen and says she relates to the quote more than ever.
“It is now my favorite quote because literally how ironic is it that that’s the quote and that’s what’s happening. All of these haters are still on it and … I’m just living in their heads. I have no idea why.
“I’ll just listen to it every morning and keep applying for jobs and Fetty will get me through it.”
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