The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered the desegregation of 32 school districts in Mississippi.

The move comes as part of a broader civil rights initiative that also involves examining jails, police departments, and hate crimes in the state. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated that these orders are aimed at ensuring equal access to education programs for Black students, in line with the Supreme Court decision that banned segregation in public schools.

“In our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, we currently have 32 open cases with school districts here in Mississippi,” Clarke said. “And in each of those cases, we are working to ensure that these districts comply with desegregation orders from courts.”

As of 2022, Mississippi had over 457,954 students enrolled in a total of 1,013 schools in 137 school districts