Petition protests school named after Klan leader

A petition to change the name of a Florida high school named after an early Ku Klux Klan leader has gathered nearly 90,000 signatures.

Omotayo Richmond's petition on Change.org asks Duval Public Schools superintendent Nikolai Vitti to change the name of Nathan B Forrest school in Jacksonville, which has mostly African-American students.

A district spokeswoman said the policy for changing school names did not include online petitions.

Forrest, a plantation owner and slave trader, was accused by some of ordering African-American prisoners to be massacred after a Confederate army victory.

The newly-formed Klan elected him as its honorary Grand Wizard in 1867, though he denied involvement.