DAWSON, Ga. (WALB) - As of Wednesday, May 27, a petition has more than 200 signatures asking Terrell County School Board leaders to keep its high school principal in his position.

Students say their school needs leadership that cares and stability, and they say that’s what Principal Travis Terry brings.

At last count, the petition consisted of 245 signatures from students, parents, grandparents, and even alumni of the school.

Now that is significant, as Terrell County High School was home to only about 280 students for the 2025 to 2026 school year. That’s according to U.S. News and World Report.

The petition gained a lot of interest in less than a week, after being drafted by the school’s ninth-grade president, Khaleb Gilyard.

“In the short time that he was here, he did an amazing job. The leadership? It was amazing,” Gilyard said. “I don’t feel like no one else could do it like him, and I feel like the student’s won’t be able to connect to anybody like they did with him.”

In the call to the superintendent and members of the Terrell County School Board, Gilyard spoke on behalf of his fellow schoolmates, saying in part:

“We respectfully ask that the Board of Education and district leadership listen to the voices of the people most impacted— the families, students, educators, and community members who know firsthand the difference Principal Terry has made.”

As of now, records show board members voted to renew Assistant Principal Shakela Peak’s contract in April, but there’s no word on Principal Terry’s contract.

“He has advocated for too many students to count,” Addison Dudley, a Senior Class President and Miss TCHS, said. “He’s just always had the children’s best interest in mind. And with many of our faculty leaving now, we’re scared who will have our best interest in mind, if anybody.”

WALB did reach out to Terrell County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Shereca Harvey, for comment on the petition, and she stated that personnel matters are “personal and confidential.”

To read the full petition or sign, click here.

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