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Teachers Sue Kanye West For Disturbing Conditions at Donda Academy

Kanye West
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Teachers Sue Kanye West For Disturbing Conditions at Donda Academy

Two former teachers at Kanye West's private Christian school are claiming that Donda Academy did not have janitorial services nor a nurse on staff, and that the only lunch available was sushi.

Two former teachers at Kanye West's private Christian school Donda Academy have filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination and several disturbing code violations.


Cecilia Hailey and her daughter, Chekarey Byers, filed the suit against West and three Donda Academy directors after being fired from their positions as teachers last month, according to documents obtained by TMZ. The women say they were the only Black women teachers at the school, and that their pay was illegally withheld on multiple occasions with "untimely or inaccurate" checks.

Hailey and Byers allege that they were fired after bringing forward concerns to the school principal, who then called them "aggressive." The two said that "no action was taken" and that they were afterwards "terminated in retaliation for their complaints about Defendants' unlawful and unsafe educational practices."

In their suit, Hailey and Byers say that Donda Academy "was not operating as a proper school, as it did not have any janitorial services, it did not have a school nurse on staff or medical access, it was not following nutrition guidelines, and it did not have any security precautions."

According to the women, the school allowed students to be picked up by strangers, and that the only lunch available for them to purchase was sushi, on which West allegedly spent $10,000 per week. The only outside food allowed in was water, and there was a ban on forks and other utensils.

The two also said that West had several bizarre rules for the school. Crossword puzzles and coloring sheets were not allowed, and there could be no classes on the second floor because West "was reportedly afraid of stairs." West also required all cups and bowls to be gray, and no colors or artwork were allowed on classroom walls.

These rules included dictating what students and staff wore, requiring pupils to wear all black from designated brands, and barring everyone from wearing jewelry because West "reportedly did not like jewelry."

The teachers also say that the school remained locked from the outside during the day and that students could not go outside. Staff could only clean with acid and microfiber cloth because West "did not believe in cleaning products containing chemicals."

The school also reportedly did not offer additional education services for students in need, and had no disciplinary system in place to deal with the "severe bullying" that occurred regularly.

"Kanye West is clearly as bad at running a school as he is at managing his own personal and professional life, enabling an unsafe and illegal school environment for students that also discriminated against the plaintiffs based on their race," Hailey and Byers' attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a press release. "These egregious violations at Donda Academy are just another example of West’s unusual behavior, and our clients just won't stand for it, no matter his celebrity status."

Hailey added: "We're standing up because it’s the right thing to do. This is not about trying to defame a celebrity. This is about the right thing to do for these children."

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Ryan Adamczeski

Digital Director

Ryan is the Digital Director of The Advocate Channel, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She is also a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics.

Ryan is the Digital Director of The Advocate Channel, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She is also a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics.