A New Lawsuit Accuses Kanye West’s Donda Academy Of Violating Health And Safety Regulations And Only Allowing Sushi For Lunch

Kanye West’s unaccredited K-12 Christian private school, Donda Academy, in Simi Valley, CA, opened last year, and things have been messy ever since. It was reported that Kanye makes the parents of his school, where tuition is reportedly $15,000 a year, sign NDAs. People also threw side-eyes at the fact that the school’s principal, Brianne Campbell, is an actress and choir director and has no formal experience as an educator. And last October, one teacher, who is Jewish, resigned over Kanye’s antisemitism. Now the school is facing a lawsuit from two former teachers for racial discrimination and wrongful termination. In their lawsuit, the former teachers air all the dirty details going on behind closed doors. And I literally mean dirty cause, apparently, there are no janitors at the school! The two teachers, Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers, state that they were Donda Academy’s only Black teachers and were fired after they complained about the school’s dreadful conditions. They claim that Kanye’s school “violated education, health and safety codes, terminated educators based on race and retaliation, and failed to fully pay teachers.” And here’s the special Kanye twist- the school serves sushi every single day for lunch and only sushi. Any outside food is banned. The lawsuit claims that Donda Academy spends $10,000 a week on sushi. No wonder their teachers aren’t getting fully paid- all the tuition money is going toward maki tuna!

Cecilia and Chekarey accuse Donda Academy of basically being a free-for-all with untrained teachers, zero custodial employees, no school nurse, no lesson plans, and students going unchecked for committing violence. Here’s a rundown of just a few claims named in the lawsuit, according to The Los Angeles Times:

Teachers at the school were not required to have first-aid or mandated child-abuse reporter training, and state regulations regarding educational services and individualized learning plans were not being followed, the complaint says.

The school did not have janitorial services, with West barring the use of cleaning products with chemicals, or proper trash cans, according to the complaint. Teachers were only allowed to clean with “acid water and microfiber cloths.”

The school also lacked a school nurse and medical supplies, and medications were stored improperly.

One student’s EpiPen to treat allergic reactions was stowed above a microwave, the plaintiffs allege.

The school also allegedly failed to implement protocols related to bullying.

“In one incident, a student assaulted an eighth-grade student by slapping her, then attempted to assault another teacher,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote in the complaint.

A Kanye concert is safer for kids than this place. And probably cleaner too. Not to mention it has more chairs, too. According to Cecilia and Chekarey, students have to eat their sushi lunch on the floor without tables. Classrooms are chair-less as well. I’d say this is terrible, but tbh, this is a school from the mind of Kanye West. Parents should have expected this and also expect having to sit down to do homework with their kids on the cultural impact of 21 Jump Street. Here are more cult-like details from TMZ:

What’s more, the teachers claim Kanye did not allow crossword puzzles or coloring sheets at Donda Academy, classes could not take place on the second floor because Kanye is “afraid of stairs,” and Ye didn’t want children using forks or utensils.

The suit alleges Kanye did not allow artwork to be hung on walls, and no one was allowed to wear jewelry … simply because he “did not like jewelry.”

The teachers even claim Kanye didn’t allow chairs, forcing children to sit on foam cushions or stand, while teachers were relegated to standing or using a stool.

Donda Academy, the suit says, required everyone to wear all black from head-to-toe … and Nike and Adidas brands were forbidden.

Cecilia and Chekarey claim that they went to Donda’s higher-ups with their complaints and were fired. They add that many times their paychecks were short by up to $2,700 per pay period.

Ahh, yes, who could forget the classic Bible verse, “Thou shall not wear Adidas.” This private school was meant to serve a Christian education, but as the school year unfolds, it looks like instead of asking, “What would Jesus do?” students have to ask, “What would Yeezus do?” And the answer to that question is: give you mercury poisoning by making you eat sushi every day.

Pic: Backgrid