Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is facing yet another lawsuit!
This time, he is sued by a former teacher at Donda Academy. Court documents obtained exclusively by The Blast show that the Yeezy fashion designer is being sued by a substitute teacher who claims that the private Christian school is following “unlawful educational practices,” as well as breaking multiple health and safety violations.
Kanye West Sued By Former Donda Teachers Over Alleged Health and Safety Violations
The “Donda” rapper is being sued by two individuals: Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers. In court documents obtained by The Blast, Hailey claims that she started working for the school as a substitute teacher on November 12, 2022. She later became a third-grade teacher for the school on or around January 9, 2023.
A few weeks later, on or around January 25, 2023, Byers started working as a fifth-grade teacher. Although the school accepts students from pre-kindergarten all the way up through twelfth grade, both Hailey and Byers noted in the court documents that they were the only female African American teachers at the school.
Hailey, who has over twenty-five years of experience in the educational field and previously served as the dean of two colleges, claims that she discovered multiple health and safety violations at Donda Academy. Hailey also indicated that there were several “unlawful educational practices” taking place at the school.
Hailey brought these violations to the director and principal of the school, Moira Love, on at least three separate occasions. In the legal filing, Hailey claims that Donda Academy was not following state regulations when it came to “students in need of educational services, additional testing, or individualized learning plans.”
Former Donda Academy Teachers Claim That The School Has No Janitors Or Trash Cans
Hailey also noted that teachers were not trained or required to have Basic Life Support (BLS) or undergo mandatory reporter training, which is required by the state. Hailey also noted that there was no set disciplinary system in place for students, and as such, she noticed that many students were the subject of severe bullying.
The court documents describe one specific incident where an unnamed student slapped an eighth-grade student and then attempted to assault another teacher. That unnamed student reportedly had multiple reports of physical and verbal bullying that had gone unaddressed. Byers felt that students who display violent tendencies should be expelled from the school.
The two teachers also felt that Donda Academy lacked the basic requirements to operate as a “proper school.” For example, they claim that the school lacks janitorial services, nursing staff, or staff trained to provide proper medical care if the need requires it.
They also claim that Kanye West himself did not believe in having a cleaning staff for the school because he did not want to use cleaning products that contain chemicals. Instead, both teachers claim in the lawsuit that they were only allowed to clean with acid water and microfiber cloths.
The lawsuit goes on to state that “There were no trash cans outside of the classrooms or the kitchen.” Although many might question where students would throw away their food after lunches, the two teachers claim that students were not allowed to bring outside food or water onto the school grounds.
In fact, the two teachers claim that the only lunch available for students to eat was sushi every single day of the week. In the court documents, they claim that it was “widely known” that Kanye West would shell out $10,000 a week to feed the students with sushi every day for lunch.
Teachers Claim That Chairs, Jewelry, And Utensils Were Forbidden From The School
The teachers also revealed that there were “strict rules and requirements” that the school had to follow. For example, Kanye West reportedly did not allow crossword puzzles or coloring sheets for students to use. They also claimed that the rapper would not allow classes to take place on the second floor because he was reportedly afraid of stairs.
They also allege that students were not allowed to use forks or utensils, all cups and bowls had to be the color gray, he did not allow color in the classrooms or artwork to be hung on the walls, teachers and students were not allowed to wear jewelry, and they had to wear all-black from head-to-toe. Only clothes designed by Kanye West himself were allowed to be worn in school.
In another wild claim, chairs were reportedly forbidden from classrooms. Instead, teachers had to stand or use a stool and students had to sit on foam cushions or stand. Although the two teachers complained to the director about their grievances, they say that no action was taken.
Instead, the director reportedly called both teachers “aggressive,” which they believe is just playing into harmful stereotypes about African-American women who are trying to voice legitimate concerns to provide a “safe environment and proper education for their students.”
The teachers were terminated in March 2023. They believe it was in retaliation for reporting these alleged unlawful and unsafe educational practices occurring at the school. The two former Donda Academy teachers are now suing for unpaid wages and emotional distress.
