Boston Latin School Names First Minority To Headmaster Post

BOSTON (AP) — A former student and teacher at Boston Latin School has been named its new headmaster — the first person of color to lead the prominent high school.

The selection of Rachel Skerritt was announced Thursday. Skerritt graduated from Boston Latin in 1995 and taught English there. She currently works as deputy chief of leadership development for the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Founded in 1635, Boston Latin is the first public school in the U.S. Skerritt is only the third woman to lead the school.

Boston Latin has struggled recently over allegations of racial discrimination. In 2016, two students posted a YouTube video describing racial incidents at the school.

Investigators later found administrators had mishandled several complaints about "bias-based conduct." In four cases, teachers who were accused of such conduct were found to have violated school policy.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)