Former presidential candidate and friend of accused felon Donald Trump Kanye West’s Southern California privately-run Christian school, the Donda Academy, was a nightmare site from both school administration and child welfare perspectives, according to statements made in a lawsuit by former employees, NBC News reports.
Two former employees sued wrongful termination after being fired for raising concerns about the school to government officials in March 2023, six months after school closed in October 2022 as a result of anti-Semitic remarks West, who currently goes by the name Ye, made. The rapper-turned-politician lost virtually all of his endorsement deals as a result of the fallout.
The plaintiffs, former teachers Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers, said school operations depended on Ye’s whims, including not holding classes for the students on the second floor because Ye didn’t like stairs, only serving students sushi (with no utensils), and demanding students where all black clothes either approved by or designed by Ye. No Nike or Adidas apparel was allowed.
The operation of the school, however, was bad, not just because of the founder’s quirks: school doors were locked from the outside, preventing occupants from evacuating in case of emergency. Also, there was no school nurse or cleaning crew: students’ medications and general school medicines were left unsecured and available to anyone. Students were required to eat while sitting on the floor, even though those floors were rarely cleaned.