Donda Academy is back after a rebrand amid lawsuits and controversy!
Kanye West‘s unaccredited Los Angeles-based school, which he started in 2021, was shut down in 2022 after he made antisemitic comments. Shortly after, former staffers filed two lawsuits alleging all kinds of bizarre practices at the school. Among them, Ye was accused of not providing chairs, serving students only sushi, and forcing kids to brave the elements because he “doesn’t like glass” and left the window frames empty. At the height of the controversy, the school’s ranch campus was abandoned as it seemed like the Grammy winner had put this dream to rest. But not anymore!
Related: Bianca Censori Planning To Have Kanye’s Babies!
The school has since been rebranded to Donda Ray Academy (named in honor of both his parents). It’s currently being run out of a warehouse in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley with some top choreographers leading the charge as the Christian establishment moves forward with a new focus on basketball, choir, and dance.
According to an insider for The US Sun on Monday, the rapper “was determined not to give up on the kids” after the school’s eventful start. The musician’s lawyer, Gregory Suhr, also denied all allegations made by the former teachers — insisting the school isn’t a dystopian institution meant to satisfy the founder’s idiosyncrasies. But, um, it doesn’t look like much has changed!
The school’s new Instagram page shows they began pushing for new enrollment for “gifted and talented” youth again in January — and despite the hype over a rebrand, the kids are still required to wear all-black outfits, the windows are mostly blacked out, and they are seen eating sushi and other food on stainless steel worktops. Very unusual! Look HERE and see more (below):
As for what they’re learning? The focus is mostly on performing with basketball coach Japhet McNeil (a former pro), musician Jason White, and dancer Tianne King seemingly taking charge. They were all tagged in posts by the academy. Tianne seems to be one of the newest teachers brought on and can be seen posing clips from the school’s training sessions on her IG page since November, captioning one video:
“Continually preparing our children for greatness.”
In January, she added:
“We listen, we train, we nurture. Executing greatness, excellence, and performance on a high level.”
Donda Ray Academy is listed as a private elementary school operating in the Simi Valley Unified School District on the California Department of Education website, catering to kids 5 to 18, according to The US Sun. The school’s former website promised to give students a faith-based education while creating a “new generation of leaders.”
It is currently unclear if the Yeezy designer and Kim Kardashian‘s four kids are enrolled, but it seems unlikely considering last week Bianca Censori‘s husband went on a social media rant about problems with their current school, Sierra Canyon. He begged Kim to remove them from the “fake school for celebrities that are used by ‘the system.'” The model has not publicly addressed the schooling controversy yet.
Wild to see Donda Academy back up and running after all the problems of the past… Hopefully (for all the kids involved), it’s less controversial now! Reactions, Perezcious readers??
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