BATON ROUGE - Democracy Prep, a charter middle school in Baton Rouge, closed Thursday due to a teacher sit-out. 

Educators are sitting out due to reported dissatisfaction over the decision to surrender the charter to Denver-based company, Third Future Schools. 

"We, the staff of Democracy Prep Baton Rouge, are displeased with the practices that have taken place in the transition of Democracy Prep to Third Future Schools," read an anonymous email sent to WBRZ. "We do not believe TFS is a proper fit for our scholars, families, or community."

Democracy Prep released the following statement in response to the sit-out: 

“We are deeply concerned about how the sit out at Democracy Prep Baton Rouge will affect children and their families, and hope that the new operator of the school can work collaboratively with staff to address concerns so that this does not happen again. We stand ready to assist staff, students, and families at the school as needed.”

The school will be closed Friday and will reopen April 17 following Spring Break. Thursday was a planned half-day for students.