Kanye West Fights Lawsuit Over Donda Academy's Sushi-Only Menu and Lack of Janitors (Among Other Claims)

Kanye West sought the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination filed by two teachers from his private school. Additionally, according to Radar Online, he defended himself by asserting that he was not involved in the day-to-day administrative affairs of the institution. Earlier this year, Ye and his educational institution, the Donda Academy, faced legal action initiated by former teachers Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers, who raised several concerns about the school. Moreover, the lawsuit expanded its scope by naming several school directors as additional defendants alongside West.

Hailey and Byers claimed they faced repercussions following their efforts to address troubling issues within the school environment. They also highlighted the fact that among the school's staff, they were the only black teachers. Within their legal filing, Hailey outlined her observations upon commencing employment, pointing out infractions related to health and safety regulations alongside what she deemed as unacceptable educational methodologies. Hailey further contended that the school failed to provide essential Basic Life Support training to teachers and lacked an effective disciplinary framework.

The teacher also pointed out excessive bullying among the students and cited the lack of basic necessities, such as the absence of janitorial services and a school nurse. One particular incident she recounted involved a student assaulting an eighth-grader by slapping her and subsequently attempting to assault another teacher. Notably, this student had a history of multiple bullying incidents, both physical and verbal, which had reportedly gone without proper disciplinary action. Hailey further emphasized that numerous students with bullying issues were not dealt with in an appropriate or fitting manner.

Hailey and Byers also claimed that West opposed the utilization of cleaning agents infused with chemicals in their institution. “Teachers were only allowed to clean with acid water and microfiber cloths. There were no trash cans outside of the classrooms or the kitchen,” the suit read. The teachers additionally alleged that the sole lunch option provided for students daily was limited to sushi, without any variety. Moreover, they contended that the students were prohibited from bringing outside food or any items other than water to the premises. "It was widely known that Defendant WEST spends $10,000.00 a week on sushi,” the lawsuit claimed.

Moreover, the teachers asserted that the school lacked proper protocols concerning the pick-up of students from the campus, allowing individuals, including parents, children from other schools, and even unfamiliar individuals, to come to the premises without adhering to any formal sign-in or sign-out procedures. This unrestricted access meant that individuals could freely come and go without any necessary notifications or oversight.

Previously, in July of this year, Ron Zambrano, the lawyer representing plaintiffs, stated, "It is just absolutely egregious what is going on at this school. The unlawful and retaliatory behavior by Mr. West and the school directors have now been documented multiple times by other former employees who never even worked together but all experienced the same horrendous treatment and witnessed the same serious health, safety and education code violations, while all were subjected to the same fate — wrongful termination — and we plan to hold them accountable," reported NBC News. 

Hailey and Byers reported that upon voicing their concerns to the school directors, they were branded as aggressive, suggesting their attempts to address issues were negatively labeled. Meanwhile, Ye, in a recent legal motion, contended that the teachers were employed by Donda Academy, not directly by him. He highlighted that the claims against him pertained to wage matters, which he asserted were beyond his involvement. He petitioned for the dismissal of these claims and requested that the former teachers not be permitted to revise their lawsuit.