BATON ROUGE — The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted unanimously Thursday evening to shut down J.K. Haynes Teacher Prep and Leadership Academy at the end of the semester.

All members of the school board, except for District 4's Shashonnie Stewart who was absent, voted in favor of shutting the school down. 

The school, which has only 121 students, is deteriorating, which has caused concerns among parents, educators and the board. The school also experiences low test scores. 

"It is of the opinion of the administration that it is not fiscally responsible to continue to operate the building," the memorandum the board voted on read.

J.K. Haynes started as a charter school in the 1990s but was taken over by the parish school system in 2023. They annexed the school and started a teacher and leadership academy there, WBRZ previously reported.

The closure of the school will see students sent to other schools in the district. Elementary students — Pre-K through 5th grade — will be sent to Ryan Elementary School, while 6th grade students at J.K. Haynes will attend Scotlandville Middle Pre-Engineering Academy. Both schools are located on Elm Grove Garden Drive.

Staff at J.K. Haynes will be reassigned to Ryan Elementary and other vacant positions in the district.

The changes will take effect in January.