The DeSoto Parish School Board has been formally released from a federal desegregation order that had been in place since 1967, marking the end of nearly six decades of court oversight of the parish’s public school system.

The announcement was made by the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General on Jan. 7, which stated the release followed legal action taken by the Attorney General’s Office in coordination with the United States Department of Justice. With the order lifted, the elected members of the DeSoto Parish School Board now regain full authority over district operations.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the consent decree had remained in effect despite the absence of disputes among the involved parties for approximately the past 10 years. The office characterized the continued federal oversight as unnecessary given the district’s compliance and stability.

The release returns full governing powers to the locally elected school board, ending what officials described as 60 years of litigation and federal control. The Attorney General’s Office credited cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice, including its Civil Rights Division, in bringing the long-standing case to a close.

The decision represents one of several efforts by state and federal officials to formally conclude decades-old desegregation cases across Louisiana where court supervision is no longer deemed necessary.