Kanye West has an unconventional enrollment process for Donda Academy, according to a new report.
On Thursday, September 15, Rolling Stone published a story featuring interviews with two unnamed families, who claim that the rapper's private Christian prep school is forcing the parents of all potential students to sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to enrollment. However, neither provided specific details about the terms of the NDA.
Granted, the publication noted that both families have children attending Donda Academy, which was founded this earlier year as a place for students to "learn fundamentals" and "grow in their faith," per its website.Comprising of less than 100 students from pre-K to 12th grade, half of the student body have reportedly been awarded financial assistance or scholarships, which is offset by a yearly tuition of $15,000. Still, the Simi Valley school is still not accredited, though Tamar Andrews — a consultant for Ye and Donda Academy — said that they're working on doing this through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Andrews also responded by saying that the NDAs are a pretty casual part of thee enrollment process, dubbing it "an informal agreement."
"Honestly, we don't care if people know about the school," Andrews said, before saying that "the people that want to come to the school are looking for a good Christian school in that area and they know that we're there." But given Ye's celebrity, Andrews went on to say that "there is also a certain notoriety that comes with being affiliated with Donda. So, I don't know that we have to advertise, which is a blessing and a curse."
Meanwhile, Malik Yusef was also quick to defend his longtime friend and collaborator by arguing that "people choose to bring their kids to Donda Academy for a sense of privacy."
"[There's] a sense of care, a sense of concern, a sense of love, an environment of health, and an environment of wealth, an environment of learning, and putting God as a focus," he continued, adding that "the process of Donda school is for the parishioners, for the attendees,” he added.
Yusef continued, “I don’t think Kanye needs to tell the world what he’s doing so that he can be under more scrutiny.”
Ye himself has yet to address Rolling Stone's report. In the meantime though, you can read it here.
Photo via Getty / Neil Mockford