Principal Sues St. Johns County School District Following Suspension
A lawsuit filed by Katherine O’Connell alleges the district ignored violent incidents at Trout Creek Academy before her suspension.
The former principal of Trout Creek Academy has filed a lawsuit against the St. Johns County School District, alleging she was denied due process and that school officials ignored serious safety concerns. Katherine O’Connell was placed on administrative leave in May 2024 after a lyric by rapper Fetty Wap appeared in the school’s yearbook.
The legal petition filed in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court claims that the yearbook controversy overshadowed a pattern of violence at the school. O’Connell alleges she repeatedly warned the district about a student who committed multiple acts of violence throughout the school year. One incident on May 13 involved a student being life-flighted after being struck with a pencil. While the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office described the wound as superficial, O’Connell’s legal team maintains the incident was part of a larger safety crisis.
According to the lawsuit, the district refused O’Connell’s requests to move the aggressive student to a specialized facility. The petition also details an incident from 2024 where O’Connell required knee surgery following an interaction with a student. She argues the district used the yearbook quote as an excuse to remove her after she raised these safety alarms.
O’Connell, who has 26 years of experience in education, claims the district violated her rights by denying a formal hearing and threatening immediate suspension if she brought an attorney to meetings. The district has stated that the true facts will be revealed during the litigation process and declined further comment on the pending legal action. O’Connell’s contract with the district is set to expire at the end of June.