Paulding County College and Career Academy — Local services in Dallas

As a parent, I feel a responsibility to warn others about the experiences we’ve had with Paulding College & Career Academy (PCCA). While the program may seem like a great opportunity on the surface, what we went through as a family was incredibly frustrating, disappointing, and in one case, outright humiliating for our student.

First, there was a serious grading issue. Our student took an online course through PCCA and received a failing grade that was completely inaccurate. Before the school system went offline, their grade was in the 90s, but when it came back, it had dropped drastically to a failing grade level. We were told it was because of missing assignments, but we had documented proof, including a recorded phone call with the teacher, where she clearly exempted those assignments and confirmed the final grade should have been much higher, a 97 to be exact.

Even after providing that evidence, it took weeks of emails, follow-ups, and pressure to get the school to acknowledge and begin fixing the mistake. The process was slow, unclear, and poorly handled. This error had real consequences for our student’s GPA and scholarship opportunities during a critical year of high school and none of that was taken into consideration.

Then came an honors event that went terribly wrong. Our student was invited to the PCCA Honors Night at Chattahoochee Technical College to be recognized on stage. When their name was called, they were told in front of the entire audience that there had been a "mishap" and they would have to wait. The moment was confusing and incredibly embarrassing for a student who had earned their recognition.

When our student asked what happened, the presenter, who was PCCA’s CEO Jana Stegall, brushed him off. I then stepped in and asked the teacher who was actually presenting the awards what had happened and tried to get clarification, but was met with the same indifference. We left the event early, and no one has followed up since with an explanation or apology.

These two experiences made it clear that there are serious issues with leadership, communication, and accountability at PCCA. If you're a parent considering this academy, I strongly recommend asking tough questions and staying very involved. Once something goes wrong, it may be up to you to fight for answers and fairness.

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