A judge is considering the preliminary $5 million settlement Stone Academy and its owners reached to resolve claims that the state and former students filed after the for-profit nursing school announced in 2023 that it was abruptly closing.
A judge is considering the preliminary $5 million settlement Stone Academy and its owners reached to resolve claims that the state and former students filed after the for-profit nursing school announced in 2023 that it was abruptly closing.
In January, the attorney general announced that they had reached a $5 million preliminary settlement.
The final hearing happened on Wednesday and the judge heard details about the settlement.
This is the latest chapter for students who learned in February 2023 that Stone Academy was closing all three campuses across the state after more than 150 years of operation.
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“About 1,000 practical nursing students had their educational dreams abruptly cut short when Stone Academy closed its doors, leaving them with incomplete degrees, credits that could not be transferred and no clear path forward." Timothy Cowan, an attorney for the students, said.
Attorney General William Tong’s office has accused the owners of the former school of siphoning millions of dollars and leaving students with unfulfilled promises.
“I know it took a while, but we're here now, and hopefully you guys can succeed further in your nursing careers or in whatever career you guys chose at Stone Academy, and hopefully this can bring you guys some relief, because I know for me it brought some relief,” Terencia Ridenhour, a former Stone Academy student, said.
The state won’t retain any of the $5 million other than $150,000, which will be used to help Stone Academy students prepare for exit exams, according to the attorney general’s office.
“This is a full and final settlement of all matters, not only the class action case, but the state's case for any civil and regulatory or any other claims,” James Healy, the attorney for Stone Academy, said.
The settlement also includes measures to help impacted students complete their education and professional exams, including remedial programs and the potential for students to complete their studies through the Griffin Hospital School of Allied Health Careers, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.
Tong said the state Department of Public Health would end licensure investigations based solely on a nurse’s attendance at Stone Academy.
The owner of the school will also be barred from employment in higher education in Connecticut for five years, according to a news release from Tong’s office.
Tong said the preliminary settlement would resolve all claims that the state and students have filed.
