Kanye West's Donda Academy Lawsuit Reveals School Code Violations, Including Only Serving Sushi for Lunch

Kanye West's private school is alleged to foster a chaotic environment with bullying, health and safety violations, and sushi-only lunches, according to a lawsuit filed by two former teachers. Cecilia Hailey and her daughter Chekarey Byers allege they were unfairly terminated in March for reporting code violations from West's Christian school, Donda Academy. Additionally, they allege that their paychecks frequently fell short of what they owed and that they experienced racial discrimination Rolling Stone reported. In a statement issued by Ron Zambrano, a lawyer for Hailey and Byers, he said, "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. 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. Kanye needs to realize his genius is in creating music, not in school administration."

Byers added, "I'm extremely sad about all of this. It was such a huge honor and privilege to work at Donda Academy for Kanye West. I'm a huge Kanye fan. His first album was the first I ever purchased. I still enjoy his music, and I'll never deny his talent, but while his vision for the school sounds great on paper, it's just pure chaos and mutiny. It's like a mental hospital being run by the patients." In November 2022, Hailey began working at Donda Academy as a substitute teacher, and in January of this year, she became a third-grade teacher. In January, Byers joined the school as a fifth-grade teacher. The lawsuit alleges they were "the only female, African American teachers at Donda Academy." The lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, states that Hailey, who spent 25 years in education, even serving as a dean at two colleges, found "multiple health and safety violations, as well as unlawful educational practices." 

Despite its obligation to provide education to students, Donda Academy failed to comply with California state regulations "for students in need of educational services, additional testing, or individualized learning plans." The suit also states that "teachers were not trained or required to have Basic Life Support or mandatory-reporting training." At Donda Academy, students were allegedly "subject to severe bullying" and a complete absence of a "proper disciplinary system." A student allegedly assaulted an eighth-grader by "slapping her," before attempting to "assault another teacher," according to the lawsuit. Although the student had reportedly been involved in numerous bullying incidents, "both physically and verbally," none of them had been disciplined. Among other issues at Donda Academy, the plaintiffs alleged there was no janitorial service, security precautions, or even a school nurse. West allegedly "did not believe in cleaning products containing chemicals, so teachers were only allowed to clean with acid water and microfiber cloths."

The school was reportedly molded by West's diverse preferences, even down to the sushi served daily for lunch. "Students were not allowed to bring any outside food for anything other than water," the suit claims. "It was widely known that Defendant West spends $10,000.00 a week on sushi." Additionally, West allegedly prohibited crossword puzzles and coloring sheets, did not allow children to use forks or utensils, and prohibited classes on the second floor because he was "reportedly afraid of stairs." In addition, West did not allow chairs at Donda Academy, meaning "children had to sit on foam cushion or stand, and teachers had to stand or use a stool." The school was allegedly "locked from the outside during the school day," preventing students from going outside, meaning recess and lunch were held inside. Since there were no tables at the school, students had to eat lunch on the floor.

Despite complaining to Moira Love, Donda Academy's principal/director, at least three times, Hailey claims no action was taken to resolve the issues raised. Love, the suit claims, called Hailey and Byers "aggressive" in front of others, which, the plaintiffs contend, "facilitates stereotypes about African-American women as being confrontational simply for doing their job and voicing their legitimate concerns in order to provide a safe environment and proper education for their students." In addition, Hailey attempted to contact West about a few issues but was allegedly threatened not to. Hailey and Byers were terminated on March 3 after they arrived at Donda Academy, according to the suit. The defendants failed to provide them with a reason for terminating their employment. The educators "believe that they were terminated in retaliation for their complaints about Defendants' unsafe and unlawful educational practices." Regarding the reported payment issues, Hailey and Byers claimed that their pay was "untimely or inaccurate," falling short by "approximately $1,800.00 to $2,700.00 per pay period."