Kanye West 'rebrands' controversial school after Donda Academy staff lawsuits
Kanye West has reportedly 'rebranded' his controversial unaccredited school in Los Angeles after a string of legal battles.
The Bound 2 rapper is thought to be making changes at his $15,000-a-year Donda Academy following two lawsuits from former staff members. They'd alleged bad practises at the school, including "numerous safety concerns".
But now Ye has changed the name of his Christian education centre to Donda Ray Academy, a reported nod to both of the 46-year-old's parents as the school moves to Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, inside a warehouse.
READ MORE: Kanye West 'facing another lawsuit from former teacher fired from Donda Academy'
Ye has reportedly rebranded his Los Angeles academy (dondarayacademy/Instagram)Kanye "was determined not to give up on the kids", an insider told The U.S. Sun. The Vultures artist's legal team had previously denied allegations from former teachers. His original campus still remains abandoned amid his latest revamp.
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In July last year, Kanye faced his second lawsuit involving the academy after a former employee alleged he was fired after raising concerns about unsafe working conditions. The rapper was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by Isaiah Meadows, who was a former assistant principal at the academy before being demoted to gym teacher.
In the lawsuit, Meadors alleged wrongful termination, claiming he was fired in August 2022 after reporting numerous safety issues. The concerns he raised at the school, which later became Donda Academy, included students being "exposed to the elements" because Kanye didn't allow glass to be placed in the window frames.
Inevitably allowing rain to fall directly inside, where water would soak into the floor, which would lead to a mouldy smell for the next few days. "The skylight was intentionally without glass because West expressed that he did not like glass."
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In the lawsuit obtained by the Guardian, Meadows also claimed that the academy had "exposed telephone and electrical wiring", which he said once started a fire "near the student eating area." He also alleged that during the global pandemic, the school did not have "working hot water to effectively wash hands or other items, which then created serious sanitation issues." The school's septic tank would also overflow every other day, "causing a terrible smell", the suit also claimed.
Meadows, who began making $18,400 a month when he started working at the school as an assistant principal in 2020, added in the suit that there was a breach of contract as he was promised rental assistance to afford a house closer to the Calabasas school which never followed through. He was forced to pay upwards of $60,000 to cover the remainder of his rent. In August 2022, Meadows was told he would be terminated from his position. Ron Zambrano, an attorney representing Meadows, said: "It is just absolutely egregious what is going on at this school."
The month before, another former teacher Cecilia Haile and her daughter Chekarey Byers filed a lawsuit against the rapper and made claims about the school as she warned parents that their children were "severely behind" and "facing long-term issues". Hailey and Byers complained to Donda Academy's principal in early 2023 that the school had "unlawful educational practices".
However, it is alleged that the principal called Byers and Hailey "aggressive" and "facilitate[d] stereotypes about African American women as being confrontational simply for doing their job", according to the lawsuit. They were both fired on March 3, 2023, and given no reason for the termination, according to court documents. Kanye has yet to comment on the claims made by Haile and Byers.
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