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Kanye West Private Donda Academy Abruptly Shuts Down, Then Reopens

Kanye West Private Donda Academy Abruptly Shuts Down, Then Reopens

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Screenshot, Courtside Films, Nov. 7, 2021

Note: This article has been updated to reflect that the Donda Academy has reopened.

News about Kanye West continues. Remarks he made attacking the Jewish community have been called out for being anti-Semitic, causing several corporate partners to sever ties with him, from longtime partner Adidas to Balenciaga.

Then came news that his Donda Academy had closed.

According to The Times of London, Donda Academy principal Jason Angell emailed parents on Oct. 26 saying, “THERE IS NO SCHOOL TOMORROW,” adding, “at the discretion of our Founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately.” 

Just hours after announcing its closing, the school reopened, TMZ reported on Oct. 27.

The Simi Valley, Calif. school emailed parents and staff late Wednesday asking them to join together “in worship for the return of Donda Academy” the following morning.

“With the help of our parents and community, we are back and returning with a vengeance!” the message, obtained by TMZ, said. “The children of Donda are going to change the world!”

The private Christian school, located in California’s Simi Valley, is secretive and requires families to sign non-disclosure agreements. The school’s cost is reportedly $15,000 annually and students wear Balenciaga uniforms, The Daily Beast reported. Simi Valley is a suburb 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

In the original closing announcement, Angell said in the email that the school plans to “begin afresh in September of 2023.”

Hollywood Unlocked reported that it had obtained an email sent to parents of Donda Academy students in which Angell said that the school intends to reopen in September 2023, adding that “we are confident that our scholars will continue to advance as the creative innovators, influencers and academic leaders of the next generation.”

Donda Academy is unaccredited and has around 100 students, with half attending on scholarships funded by West and his friends, Rolling Stone reported.

The school’s basketball team, which recruited some of the top high school players from around the county, was kicked out of a prestigious tournament on Oct. 26 due to its founder’s comments.

The team’s invitations were also rescinded for the Play-By-Play Classic in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 11 and the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., on Jan. 15. The organizer of another prominent tournament, the City of Palms Classic, scheduled for December in Fort Myers, Fla., said told The New York Times was monitoring the situation.

Screenshot, Courtside Films, Nov. 7, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRxNtXMCbrk