Diddy‘s former charter school, Capital Preparatory School in Harlem, NY, has reportedly faced a string of serious problems.
In an exposé written by The Cut, which dropped on Friday (March 15), it was revealed that despite the school’s promises to provide an “elite education” to poor Black students who otherwise wouldn’t have access to such things, Capital Prep — which Diddy co-founded in 2016 — has reportedly done nothing of the sort.
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Instead, the article says, the school has been plagued by teacher shortages, high turnover rates, and students who don’t learn subjects for months at a time. It also claims that fights are frequent, communication with parents all but nonexistent, and that the NYPD has been called on students when the administration — already in flux, having gone through seven principals in just as many years — was unable to get a handle on the students.
All of this, according to Capital Prep parents, has created a culture of “fear and chaos.”
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For its part, Capital Prep denied the article’s conclusions. “We accept and are saddened that some scholars and colleagues were not pleased with their experience,” Shenique Coston, director of communications and development for the school’s network, wrote in a statement to The Cut. “However, we affirmatively state that many of the allegations included in your fact-checking list are fabrications.”
Representatives for Diddy and Capital Prep co-founder Dr. Stephen Perry did not respond to requests for comment from the magazine.
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Back in November, Dr. Steven Perry, the founder and head of schools for Capital Preparatory, released a statement confirming that the charter school network had parted ways with Diddy.
“Following a comprehensive evaluation, a decision has been made to end the partnership between Capital Preparatory Schools and Sean Combs,” Dr. Perry wrote in a statement shared on the school’s official website. “While this decision was not made lightly, we firmly believe it is in the best interest of our organization’s health and future.”
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The statement was subsequently deleted.
The parting with Diddy came in the wake of the allegations of rape and domestic violence from Cassie, who he dated for a decade until 2018. He denied all allegations and quickly settled the suit, with his lawyer saying the decision “is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
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The second person to accuse Diddy of sexual assault was Joi Dickerson-Neal, who claims that the rapper and producer drugged and raped her in the early ’90s, while also filming the act.
He denied these allegations as well, saying through his spokesperson: “This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head. Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
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In late February, before the most recent claims by Lil Rod, Diddy claimed he was a victim of cancel culture in a motion to dismiss the gang rape lawsuit brought against him.
Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones (who worked on The Love Album: Off the Grid) accused Diddy of sexual harassment as well as drugging and threatening him.
According to a trigger warning that prefaces the court documents, the lawsuit contains “highly graphic information of a sexual nature, including sexual assault. Additionally, there are graphic images of the aftermath of a shooting, redacted images of sexual intercourse, redacted images of minors, sex workers, and prostitutes, details of sex trafficking, the illegal distribution of guns, and drugs.”
Diddy has vehemently denied all claims, with his lawyer Shawn Holley sharing the following statement with HipHopDX: “Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday. His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.
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“We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. Our attempts to share this proof with [Lil Rod]’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn refuses to return our calls.”
