Just how much are some parents willing to overlook for proximity to fame? Quite a lot, it turns out.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month by two teachers who were recently terminated by Donda Academy, the (unaccredited) private, Christian school founded by the rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West), the list of the school’s idiosyncratic practices reads like a rollicking parody even by celebrity-world standards.
According to the complaint against West and Donda, which was filed by Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers, students at the K-12 school—which is named after West’s late mother, Dr. Donda West, and is located in Chatsworth, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley—were required to wear “head to toe black” every day and forbidden to wear Adidas or Nike brands. All cups and bowls in the school had to be the color gray, and children were not permitted to use forks or other utensils when they ate. As for what they ate, it was sushi “every single day,” according to the complaint. No outside food was permitted; only water was allowed to be brought to school. Crosswords and puzzle sheets were not permitted. And because, the complaint alleges, West is afraid of stairs, no classes were taught on the second floor. Chairs were also not allowed, so kids sat on foam cushions or stood during instruction and while having lunch.
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Kanye West, photographed in Los Angeles in November 2022.
More seriously, the plaintiffs allege that “severe bullying” went unchecked. When one student slapped an eighth-grader and attempted to assault a teacher, there was no disciplinary action. The former teachers further allege that Donda had no janitorial staff—West does “not believe in cleaning products,” so teachers had to clean their classrooms using acid water and microfiber cloths—nor a school nurse. Strangers were permitted to pick kids up at school. And Donda did not follow state…
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