Donde Academy: red flags and lawsuits but the school remains open

This article is compiled from several online sources and all attributions are linked within.

performer at a rock concertPhoto byAxel Antas-BergkvistonUnsplash

In autumn of 2022, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) announced he’d be opening a private Christian school in Simi Valley, California. Being the ex-husband of Kim Kardashian, and a successful musician, he was in the news often, but not always for good reasons. Google provides a laundry list of this meltdowns, such as the 2018 Trump rant, the July 2020 rant about his ex and family wanting to lock him up, or the SNL 2016 unhinged video.

Yet as he moved forward with opening the Donde Academy, which per Rolling Stone he promised would “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders” through “an ethic of integrity and care,” there was no problem enrolling students at $15,000 per year tuition, despite numerous red flags.

Per Wikipedia, “Donda Academy is an unaccredited Christian private school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in Simi Valley, California.” It continues down a darker road though, reporting “During the admissions and hiring process, parents, faculty and staff are required to comply with the following stipulations: a non-disclosure agreement must be signed, the school's location must be kept secret and all members of the school community must refrain from publicly discussing the school's existence, practices and any other non-public details.” Beyond that, “All students, faculty and staff are required to adhere to the school dress code of black Balenciaga uniforms designed by West.”

Rolling Stone relayed that a 28-year-old, “ostensible head of the school listed on its website is principal and executive director Brianne Campbell, who also leads the school’s choir program. But Rolling Stone has learned that Campbell has never held a formal position as an educator. According to her résumé, Campbell’s closest brush with a teaching position appears to be running her own piano-, guitar-, and singing-tutoring business headquartered from her apartment.”

Yet still, people lined up to enroll their kids. The lure of celebrity closeness was too strong. Rolling Stone wrote, “Keyshia Cole posted a picture of her son in a Donda uniform and a popular family on YouTube also posted a picture of their child on the first day of school in uniform.”

If you didn’t look too deeply, the surface promises were strong. Small class sizes, plenty of capital, NBA players giving the students pointers, and industry connections to tempt any aspiring musician. Classes were to include “unique programs for students, such as fashion courses, Japanese, restorative-justice instruction, and STEM classes.”

Fast forward, mere months later and the teachers started to leave. To date, per NBC news, three teachers are suing, and giving details about concerns at the school. Per the recent complaint, the school “didn’t have a proper disciplinary system, even though students were being subjected to severe bullying, nor did it have enough trash cans, a school nurse, security protocols or cleaning staff. The only lunch available to students was sushi, according to the complaint, and wearing Adidas or Nike shoes was forbidden. Students weren’t allowed to go outside, nor were students allowed to use forks or utensils, the complaint says.”

platter of sushiPhoto byRiccardo BergaminionUnsplash

Given the oddities, and Ye’s past challenges, it’s not a surprise that mere months into the school’s opening, he went on a new rant, involving antisemitism. It was so severe Twitter suspended his account, and major brands dropped their sponsorship. From posting swastikas to suggesting Sean Combs (Diddy) was being “controlled by Jewish people.” On the Alex Jones podcast he said, “I like Hitler.”

Still, the parents hung on. The NY Post reported that the school initially sent an email “’At the discretion of our Founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately.”

Hours later, they switched gears. “Join us tomorrow morning in worship for the return of Donda Academy,” said the letter, obtained by TMZ. “With the help of our parents and community we are back and returning with a vengeance!”

As of this writing, students are still enrolled, and the school is still not accredited.