Kanye West’s enrollment process into his new school comes with a very inneresting step…
As you may know, the 45-year-old rapper has been vocal about moving into education, first teasing the idea of opening a place called Yeezy Christian Academy in October 2020. His dream eventually became a reality in 2022 when he opened the doors to the Christian private school Donda Academy, named after his late mother, Donda West, in Simi Valley, California.
According to the institution’s website, it prepares students from pre-k to 12th grade with a mission “to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators” through “an ethic of integrity and care.” That integrity, it seems, does not come with transparency…
Related:Kim Kardashian Concedes Kanye Really Helped Her With One Big Career Move
The school is still a big mystery as few details about their staff, classes, and other academic programs have been shared. The website simply states:
“Our project-based learning model allows students to guide instruction based on their interests and skills. We promote ideation, prototyping, and real-world implementation. Donda students grow in their faith and community through daily all-school worship and celebration at Sunday Service.”
When it comes to students’ daily schedules, the school claims to offer their 100 students “full school worship; core classes of language arts, math, and science; lunch and recess; enrichment courses including World Language, Visual Art, Film, Choir, and Parkour.”
Sorry, did y’all say parkour??
So what’s going on inside the halls of this mystery school? Well, some parents whose children currently attend Donda Academy have come forward to share the possible reason as to why there is so much secrecy at this time. In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Friday, two families claimed they were required to sign nondisclosure agreements when their kids enrolled. What???
While they did not go into detail about the NDAs for obvious reasons, Tamar Andrews, a consultant for Donda, fired back at the accusation, saying parents were only asked to sign an “informal agreement” — but did not specify what this meant. She then told the outlet that more details about the academy would be released in “due time,” but it is not a priority for the team right now, adding:
“Honestly, we don’t care if people know about the school. The people that want to come to the school are looking for a good Christian school in that area and they know that we’re there … there is also a certain notoriety that comes with being affiliated with Donda. So, I don’t know that we have to advertise, which is a blessing and a curse.”
Malik Yusef, Kanye’s longtime friend and collaborator who helped shape the school’s concept, also addressed the NDAs and lack of transparency from the academy, saying:
“The process of Donda school is for the parishioners, for the attendees. I don’t think Kanye needs to tell the world what he’s doing, so that he can be under more scrutiny. People choose to bring their kids to Donda Academy for a sense of privacy. A sense of care, a sense of concern, a sense of love, an environment of health, and an environment of wealth, an environment of learning, and putting God as a focus.”
Hmm…
To add to the mystery, Tamar confirmed that the school is not yet accredited — meaning it has not been legally recognized to maintain a certain level of education standard. This also means any current graduating seniors at the academy credits and diplomas might not be accepted by colleges right now as some colleges don’t accept credentials from unaccredited schools. According to Andrew, the school recently applied for accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges with the first visit in Spring 2023. However, Rolling Stone reported a staff member at the organization states the first visit will actually happen in December.
Either way, there still might be a bump in the road to accreditation… WASC requires a school to have a chief administrative officer who is qualified for the position along with qualified teachers. Rolling Stone noted that it’s been hard to track down anyone who attends or even works at the school. Tamar said there are currently under 100 students and 16 full-time teachers, with around half of the children receiving financial assistance or scholarships for the $15,000 tuition.
And currently, the website lists the principal and executive director as Brianne Campbell. However, the outlet reported that the 28-year-old has never had a formal position as an educator — as her resume states she’s only run her own piano, guitar, and singing tutoring business from her apartment. Brianne enrolled in a master’s degree program in education at Pepperdine University in January, which is scheduled to be completed by next August.
She does have help from two other admins, Shayla Scott, the director of athletics, and Allison Tidwell, the assistant principal. Both of them have worked at other schools in the past — but it’s unclear who else is working at the school beyond the three women.
All of this certainly raises some questions about what is going on at the academy right now — and maybe this is why Kim Kardashian has been hesitant to let their four child attend. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below.
[Image via WENN]
