Why Parents Of Students At Kanye West’s Donda Academy Are Required To Sign NDAs & Stay Quiet About His School
What is happening at Donda Academy?
Liam Goodner / Shutterstock / Instagram Kanye West's Donda Academy has strict protocols that make figuring out exactly what is going on at the school almost impossible.
Named after West’s late mother, Donda Academy is a private, tuition-based, Christian prep school headquartered in Simi Valley, California.
After previously teasing the idea of a school back in October 2020 under the name Yeezy Christian Academy, West, through Donda Academy wishes to “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders” through “an ethic of integrity and care.”
However, as parents enroll their children in the school, red flags have started cropping up.
Kanye West’s mysterious Donda Academy requires parents to sign mandatory NDAs, among other things.
Two sources who spoke to Rolling Stone revealed that families are required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
“A consultant to the school claims only parents sign, and described it as an ‘informal agreement,’” they reported.
Despite the very famous, celebrity founder, Donda Academy is shrouded in mystery — hidden behind an equally mysterious school website that is scarce in details.
One of the things they do share, however, is the students’ daily schedules, which consists of “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.”
The school is still not accredited and was still hiring instructors before the school year started.
What’s more, is that trying to figure out who exactly those instructors are or who even attends the school has proven a challenge as well.
Many of the students who are enrolled are children of West's celebrity friends, including Keyshia Cole's son, DJ, whom she posted a photo of on Instagram before sending him on his first day of school.
“Donda’s listed administrators and sporting program’s leadership did not respond to Rolling Stone’s multiple inquiries about the school,” they reported. “A representative for West also did not respond to requests for comment.”
They claim that those associated with the K-12 school as well as the parents who send their kids there “balked at interview requests."
Even a Simi Valley local newspaper found it difficult to reach anyone, according to an article they published in June 2022.
Brianne Campbell, the principal and executive director of Donda Academy who also leads the school’s choir program, has never held a formal position as an educator, Rolling Stone has learned.
The closes thing the 28-year-old has done is run her own piano, guitar and singing tutoring business out of her apartment — she is also enrolled in a master’s degree program in education at Pepperdine University.
One person who has spoken about West’s Donda Academy is producer, Malik Yusef.
“I want to be emphatic that there’s never been a time that Kanye West did not want to do this,” he says of the school.
“I think people don’t understand the gravity of that. This man always wanted to create a school in his mama’s name … Look at what we’re doing with the choir and the fashion in school — I don’t think there’s a venture capitalist or anybody that’s had a vision this clear on what education can look like for you.”
Yusef claims that this wasn’t simply done on a whim and that West is very serious about the school.
He says that West has a long-term vision for education — a five-year plan that includes several campuses across the country.
“The process of Donda school is for the parishioners, for the attendees,” he says, clearing the air on the secrecy. “I don’t think Kanye needs to tell the world what he’s doing, so that he can be under more scrutiny.”
The school is shrouded in mystery on purpose in order to preserve privacy and focus on what’s really important.
“People choose to bring their kids to Donda Academy for a sense of privacy,” he adds. “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.”
Tamar Andrews, a consultant for Donda Academy, shed a little light on what’s going on.
Currently, enrollment sits at just under 100 students with 16 full-time teachers as applications continue to fly in for the school, which boasts a $15 thousand a year tuition fee.
She claims that while more information about the school will be released eventually, publicity is not a priority for their team.
“Honestly, we don’t care if people know about the school,” she says. “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.”
Although the school is not yet accredited, Andrews confirmed that they had recently applied for accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Without accreditation, the academy can’t guarantee that high schoolers will be given credits or diplomas that will be accepted by colleges.
With the number of financial resources and networking opportunities at the students’ disposal, Donda Academy seems like a great option for students who want a better chance at jumpstarting their future.
The lack of accreditation and air of mystery, however, leaves much to be desired and may steer parents toward sending their children to a more traditional institution.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Since graduating from Rutgers University, he spends most of his free time gaming or playing Quadball. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.