A debate over whether a western Massachusetts school district should change the name of a high school mascot has gone online, as both sides of the issue prepare to lobby school officials.

After learning last week that the Gill-Montague Regional School Committee was considering whether the Turners Falls High School mascot — the Indians — should be changed, an online petition was started to keep it as it is. It claims the name and image honors local Native Americans who died in the King Phillip’s War.

Lew Collins, an alumnus of Turners Falls High class of 1980, signed the petition. He’s upset by what he calls relative newcomers trying to change tradition.

“Soon you’re not going to have any kind of pride with the name that you associate with the school,” Collins said. “It’s always been Turners Falls Indians. It’s a reason that it’s Turners Falls Indians because we want to keep the name of the Indians alive here, and keep the pride that the Indians had.”

“How we celebrate things, how we remember certain things just because that’s the way we’ve always done it to me isn’t really an answer,” said Mary Sirum, who graduated from Turners Falls High in 1965.

Sirum was first contacted by a former school mate who wants to keep the mascot, but she decided to sign a petition to change it. She said she’s become aware of how damaging stereotypical images can be.

“We have a lot of traditions in our country over race and things that weren’t the right thing that needed to be changed, and still need to be changed. So I think that this also is one of those,” said Sirum.

A few years ago, the district prohibited the arm motion simulating a Tomahawk chop at sports and other events. That decision was heavily criticized because of a lack of public input.

On Tuesday, the Gill-Montague Regional School Committee will meet to adopt a proposal on how the mascot issue should be addressed. Whatever decision is made, committee chair Mike Langknecht said it will be with active community engagement this time around.

“We want to do a good job, and I’m actually feeling confident that at the end of the discussion, everyone on all sides will agree that we went about this the right way,” said Langknecht.

The school committee has no timetable yet on when it will make a decision.

Despite a call by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in 2001 to end the use of Native American mascots and images, a survey by Boston.com found that 38 high schools in Massachusetts still do. They include the Taconic Braves in Pittsfield; in Ware and North Brookfield — the Indians; and in Athol and Springfield’s High School of Commerce, the Red Raiders.