Kanye West’s private school is closing for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year, The Times, Hollywood Unlocked, and ESPN report. The school’s principal, Jason Angell, reportedly emailed students’ parents, “Our leadership team will be working diligently to assist all families during this transition, ensuring that every scholar has what they need to succeed in their next community in a prompt and gracious manner.”
A subsequent email, however, indicated that the school is open for worship, TMZ reports. The email was signed by “Parents of Donda.” An additional report from TMZ stated that educators at the school have been quitting in protest of West’s antisemitic comments.
Donda Academy opened last year and is the subject of great mystery, with families reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements to send their children to the school. According to The Hollywood Reporter, West recently lost an educational consultant for the school who resigned after the rapper tweeted that he wanted to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”
The school year’s cancellation comes after the academy’s high-profile boys basketball team, the Donda Doves, was disinvited from two prestigious tournaments, the Spalding Hoophall Classic and Play by Play Classics. In a statement, organizers of the latter tournament said, “Kanye’s words and actions violate our values as a company and a country,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
West continues to face backlash for a string of antisemitic remarks he’s made in recent weeks. His booking agency has cut ties with him, as have Adidas and Balenciaga. In addition, star athletes Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown have ended their partnerships with West’s brand management agency, Donda Sports.
This article was originally published on Thursday, October 27 at 9:45 a.m. Eastern. It was last updated on October 27 at 10:02 p.m. Eastern.
