The parents, community, faculty and students of Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, GA are demanding that Dr. Shelton Bernard, remain principal.

Principal Dr. Bernard is being forced out of Cedar Grove High School with no cause or factual explanation to the students, faculty and staff. He has only been the principal for one school year and has not been provided with ample time & opportunity to truly be successful in this role and get acclimated to his position. In addition to taking on the challenge of becoming a new principal, he wanted to promote from within and gave two current staff members an opportunity to be promoted to Assistant Principal. He was also assigned a new Assistant Principal from Chamblee High School, who upon a quick Google search, has consistently exemplified behavior which attempts to dismantle and divide faculty instead of facilitating employee engagement. Although his intentions were admirable and supports employee development, having a brand new inexperienced staff had its share of challenges and he has received backlash for it. Instead of DCSS, specifically his boss, Region Superintendent Bernetta Jones supporting his efforts and providing him with the necessary resources to be successful in this role, she, along with the new Assistant Principal from Chamblee, kept a tally of any mistakes and began to undermine his authority. Yet, despite this stressful, hostile work environment and lack of support from DCSS, Cedar Grove enrollment continues to increase and students continue to excel. Test scores and graduation rates are up and Cedar Grove has consistently been #1 in the Region for Academics. Each year the athletic teams surpass other high schools in the country, winning state championships and region titles.

Dr. Bernard is a Cedar Grove alumni and a resident of DeKalb County, so he is very familiar with the needs of the students and community as a whole. He cares about all of his students, their families, employees and the school itself.

The Board would make an enormous mistake by firing Dr. Bernard. We ask that you sign this petition and demand that he be allowed to remain at Cedar Grove.