Donda Academy, a private Christian school founded by Kanye West, is back in business after temporarily shutting down.
The once-shuttered $15,000-per-year prep school for boys and girls has returned, and it swears it is “returning with a vengeance.”
“Join us tomorrow morning in worship for the return of Donda Academy. With the help of our parents and community, we are back and returning with a vengeance,” stated an email from the school sent to staff and parents. The email was obtained by TMZ.
Who is not returning is one of Donda Academy’s instructors, who happens to be Jewish, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Close, Open: How Donda Continued
West’s rants about the Jewish community have led to the rapper-turned-mogul getting canceled, especially by his corporate business partners, causing a trickle-down effect. The Donda Academy not only briefly closed, but its basketball team was disinvited by several major tournaments.
The abrupt closure of Donda Academy seems to be correlated with West’s comments. In one social media posting, he tweeted, “I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”
One of the first outlets to report on Donda Academy’s closing was Hollywood Unlocked. It obtained an email sent by the school’s principal, Jason Angell, to parents of Donda Academy students that read in part, “at the discretion of our founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately.”
West also unwittingly confirmed the initial reporting that his school was shuttered in an Instagram post aimed at Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee, a former West ally.
“Here’s the clout you’re looking for,” West said in the deleted post. “My school is being shut down.”
About Donda Academy
Donda Academy is not an average Pre-K through 12 grade school; parents had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the school’s location a secret. Some reports, however, state it is located at 1625 Tierra Rejada Road, Simi Valley, California.
West personally recruited some of the nation’s top high school players to its basketball team. The students and the team players were also wearing uniforms are from the Yeezy x Balenciaga designed. (Though since Balenciaga severed ties with the former billionaire rappers, the designer uniforms could change.)
The prep school has about 100 students in total, Business Insider reports. Some of whom are on scholarships paid for by West and sponsors.
A Bad Month For West
West has been dropped from key business partnerships, including his collaborations with Balenciaga and Adidas. The fallout has caused West to lose his billionaire status, with his net worth dropping to $400 million, as Finurah previously reported.