Ex-Donda Academy Teacher Claims Ye Wanted School To Have “Hitler Vibes”

Donda Academy had a short run, but the controversies have kept the school in conversation. A former teacher recently claimed that Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, wanted the school to have “Hitler vibes.”

Cecilia Hailey is suing the Chicago producer for wrongful termination and opened up to The U.S. Sun about her experience working at the uncredited institution. “He wanted all the children to be educated in how to carry a gun, how to shoot a gun,” she said.

“I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I’m not having my third graders out learning how to shoot rifles, absolutely not. Teaching these kids to march, to be honest with you I kind of got like Hitler vibes around that or real bizarre things.” Another former teacher gave their take on what the students were taught. “He was going to teach the kids how to survive in the wilderness, hunting, camping, and how to load and shoot firearms,” they said.

Cecilia Hailey also spoke about the harmful way students engaged with one another. “There was a lot of bullying,” she said. “Kids were getting physical; they would fight, the bigger kids would fight the little kids. So you might have a fourth grader hitting on a kindergarten or a first grader. We had kids hiding under tables because they were afraid. It was mayhem, really.”

Hailey’s case will go to trial in spring 2025. In her lawsuit, she claimed that forks and knives were banned, students were served sushi, and all classes were held on the ground floor of the school building because Ye was allegedly scared of stairs. Students were allegedly required to wear all-Black Balenciaga uniforms and could not wear any Nike or Adidas apparel.

According to the California Department of Education, Donda Academy is currently listed as closed. In October 2022, the school briefly closed for the year after Ye made antisemitic comments, only to reopen hours later. Keyshia Cole’s son attended the school, and she pulled him out during the antisemitic controversy.