Ye’s Donda Academy has recently been hit with multiple lawsuits. Two former teachers have sued the school founded by the artist formerly known as Kanye West, claiming they were unfairly fired after raising numerous code violations, including violations of education, health, and safety codes.
Another lawsuit claims that students who attended the academy were exposed to unsafe, unregulated, and unsanitary conditions. Additionally, two former employees have sued the school and its directors for racial discrimination and wrongful termination.
The lawsuits against Donda Academy are ongoing, and it remains to be seen how they will be resolved or whether the school can survive.
This is a real fall from grace for Ye, who founded Donda Academy last year as a private Christian school, named after his late mother.
The academy, located in Simi Valley, California, offers education for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. The school is unaccredited (though it has applied for accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges), and its curriculum is not regulated by the State of California.
Donda has been shrouded in mystery since its inception, with little information available about its operations and curriculum. However, it has been reported that the school offers a range of classes, including parkour, STEM, language arts, math, and science. The school also holds a weekly children’s Sunday Service.
The school has faced criticism for its lack of accreditation and regulation, with some questioning the quality of education it provides. However, supporters of the school argue that it offers a unique and innovative approach to education, with a focus on creativity and spirituality.
Despite the controversy surrounding the school, including an abrupt closure and almost immediate reopening following Ye’s viral antisemitic comments in October, Donda gained a significant following, with many parents and students expressing interest in attending.
These lawsuits will be a significant obstacle for Ye, who has stated that he hopes to expand the school in the future, with plans to open additional campuses across the United States.
Ye isn’t the first celebrity to start their own school. George Clooney, Mindy Kaling, Dr. Dre, and LeBron James have all founded their own schools, while many other celebrities have helped fund existing schools.
The Roybal Film and TV Magnet, founded by Clooney, Kaling, and others is an excellent example of a school with a clearly-defined mission well-aligned to its celebrity founders:
“The mission of the Roybal Film and Television Magnet is to build a more inclusive pipeline of historically underrepresented, college and career ready students interested in the film and television industries.”
The recent lawsuits against Donda Academy assert that this is a very different type of school – one without a clear plan, direction, and, some would argue, articulable mission.
In founding the school, Ye said that he wanted a school that would focus on leadership skills, basketball, and parkour, which is less a mission than a set of activities and desired outcomes.
While the Donda website claims that “each day, Donda students learn fundamentals, grow in their faith, and experience two enrichment classes,” these new lawsuits cloud the school’s horizon.
As Attorney Lauren Scardella points out: “The allegations in the lawsuits against Donda Academy are very serious. They speak to the learning and working conditions at the school and allege significant health and safety violations that leave in doubt whether the school can move forward.”
This is really the core of the issue here. While most of the news pieces that have come out about the lawsuits have focused on issues such as serving sushi for lunch, the totality of the picture they paint is of a school imagined and founded by Ye that might not be a safe place to learn or work.
Aron Solomon, JD, is the chief legal analyst for Esquire Digital