Cecilia Hailey, a former teacher at Kanye West’s Donda Academy, has made alarming allegations regarding the school’s conditions, claiming that inadequate maintenance led to students falling ill.
In an interview with The U.S. Sun, Hailey described troubling experiences during her tenure, stating that sick students were forced to remain in class with their peers rather than being isolated.
She asserted, “We did have kids that got sick. It was still Covid time, and they would sit around on a couch on one of those foam cushions and just kind of suffer through it until somebody came and picked them up,” highlighting the absence of a separate room for unwell children.
Hailey, who joined Donda Academy as a substitute teacher in November 2022 and later became a full-time employee, alleges she was fired in March 2023 for voicing concerns about these issues. Her lawsuit claims the school was not “operating as a proper school,” lacking essential services such as janitorial staff and a school nurse. Hailey also noted, “We didn’t have records for students, and we didn’t have proof of who they were, if they were registered.”
She criticized the overall environment as “ridiculous,” stating, “I mean, a kid could come off the street and they may want you to put them into school.” Additionally, she mentioned that classes previously held upstairs were moved downstairs due to Kanye’s issues with stairs. Kanye West has denied the allegations, and a trial is set to take place in 2025.