ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 A Florida principal has been placed on administrative leave after a song lyric from Rapper Fetty Wap\u2019s \u201cTrap Queen\u201d was included on the first page of the school\u2019s yearbook.<\/p>\n
Action News Jax reported<\/a> the Trout Creek Academy yearbook page read, \u201cEverybody hating, we just call them fans though! -Mrs. O\u2019Connell.\u201d<\/p>\n But the principal, Katie O\u2019Connell, says she did not write this, nor did she approve of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI approved the yearbook twice on April 9, and so did my assistant principal, Miss Saruk, and that quote in that area was not even in the book,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cIt said Mrs. O\u2019Connell, too. And all my students know I\u2019ve never been Mrs. O\u2019Connell. I\u2019m Miss O.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell received a letter from the St. Johns County School District informing her that she would be placed on administrative leave with pay beginning Wednesday, May 20, citing an allegation of \u201cinappropriate conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n A letter sent to her two days later states, \u201cPlease understand that this action is being taken as we move towards a non-reappointment for the 2026-2027 school year.\u201d It goes on to state that O\u2019Connell is not allowed on any property of the St. Johns County School District unless directed by the school administration or Human Resources.<\/p>\n In documents obtained by Action News Jax, emails from Assistant Principal Samantha Sawruk and Yearbook Teacher Jodi Stobe also claim that the quote was not in the yearbook when the admin proofread it the night before submission.<\/p>\n In an email, Sawruk wrote the following:<\/p>\n Good Afternoon,<\/p>\n I am writing to share additional context for the yearbook quote currently making rounds on Facebook on the \u201cFamilies of Trout Creek\u201d page.<\/p>\n On April 9th, the day prior to submission, just after lunch, admin was asked to assist with the grammatical proof reading of our yearbook. Errors were found with spelling, with pronouns and incorrect verb tenses. We specifically edited several instances of \u201cMs. versus Mrs.\u201d<\/p>\n The quote on the first page, which was present after printing, \u201cEverybody hatin\u2019, we just call them fans though\u201d was not there during the proofreading done on April 9th. On this quote, it is signed \u201cMrs. O\u2019Connell\u201d. This is not how Ms. O\u2019Connell signs her name, she always uses, \u201cMs. O\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Thank you,<\/p>\n Samantha Sawruk<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell says not only did she not approve of the quote, but she didn\u2019t even know about it until someone sent her Facebook screenshots.<\/p>\n \u201cThere 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,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cAll I needed was the time or the opportunity to have fixed an error that was made, and it wasn\u2019t made by me.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite an email from Stobe claiming that O\u2019Connell did not see the quote in the yearbook, documents sent by the St. Johns County School District show conflicting answers.<\/p>\n When interviewed by Gene Bennett, the ESE Coordinator of Special Programs in St. Johns County, about if O\u2019Connell saw proof of the copy before Stobe handed them out, Stobe answered, \u201cYes. Ms. O\u2019Connell said, \u2018Oh, my quote made it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But O\u2019Connell says that it could\u2019ve been a student.<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence shows that it was a student that placed it in there after we had already given final approval,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cMe and Ms. Sawruk gave final approval and said, \u2018Go ahead and send it.\u2019 I have no idea why there was an edit made to that yearbook after.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell has retained Jack Webb, an attorney specializing in complex business, employment, administrative, and governmental matters. The demand letter sent to the St. Johns County School District argues that O\u2019Connell was denied her due process procedures.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bunch of garbage is what it is,\u201d Webb said. \u201cShe\u2019s getting thrown under the bus for something she was not responsible for.<\/p>\n Webb says that when O\u2019Connell met with the district, she was told that if she wanted her counsel present, she would be immediately suspended.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go through the documents, you\u2019re going to find inconsistencies in the evidence that was presented to the school people, the school board people, in whatever this star chamber of an investigation that they conducted,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n He also says that O\u2019Connell has experienced heaps of harassment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in the age of social media where this stuff can kind of go viral and get crazy real fast,\u201d Webb said. \u201cSome of the people were screaming about this, some of the loudest don\u2019t even have children in the school.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell says she also received a threat at 3:22 a.m. Friday morning \u2014 one that led her to talk to the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason to throw away someone\u2019s career or to hurt a family like this.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell says she wants to return as a principal, but it won\u2019t be at Trout Creek Academy.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n