Destin Plan in Lake Merial by Holiday Builders
Panama City, FL 32409

My daughter went to this school and had loads of trouble she was testing college level but was always in trouble because she was not being challenged so dispite getting 4s and 5s on fast testing she would end up getting bad grades in class because she was constantly being kicked out of school for weeks at a time until I talked to the board of education and then they started trying to work with her finally. They definitely won't do anything to help if you don't go over their head. My daughter was suspended out of school for a week once for looking at someone funny. The teachers are absolutely ridiculous and the office allows this nonsense. Good luck if you have a child that goes here. Check out the mowat fights account that will tell you all you need to know about this school.

My teenager recently transferred to a new school, and I addressed concerns about their severe anxiety. I obtained a doctor’s note to support a 504 plan request, which took over a month to get. The process was mostly virtual, which felt inefficient and stressful given the urgency of my teen’s needs. During my in-person meeting with the school counselor, I introduced myself to discuss my child’s anxiety. Later, my teen reported feeling uncomfortable with the counselor’s dismissive tone. I also discovered the counselor had been checking my personal Facebook profile at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday, which felt highly inappropriate and an invasion of privacy. When I raised this, the dean defended the counselor, suggesting staff may contact parents via social media if phone calls are unanswered, even though I consistently answer. The school environment contributed to my teen’s anxiety. My child felt unwelcome and unsupported, including an incident where the counselor laughed while my teen was emotional instead of providing help. Treatment from administration appeared inconsistent, often depending on parental connections with the principal. I also observed a troubling double standard in enforcing rules. Students were allowed to vape and engage in disruptive behavior with minimal consequences, even though the vape detector frequently triggered and staff were unable to respond adequately. Meanwhile, my teen was accused of academic dishonesty on Google Forms, despite the system not being prone to cheating. These issues left my teen feeling anxious and undervalued, ultimately leading me to homeschool to protect their academic progress and mental health. This is disappointing given Bay County schools emphasize “no child left behind,” yet my teen was left behind by administrative inefficiency, dismissive behavior, and inconsistent enforcement. The combination of delayed 504 accommodations, counselor boundary violations, dismissive treatment, unequal enforcement of rules, and lack of proactive support prevented my teen from thriving. I hope this summary highlights systemic failures that should be addressed to prevent similar experiences for other students.

Office staff will yell and laugh at you, throw your kid outside so they can make fun of you. A disgusting display of mean staff. If you love your children do not let them go here!