Jury awards whistle-blower student $450,000

By By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When she was thrown out of nursing school just 13 weeks before graduating, Sara Castle was humiliated.

Still, she knew she and her classmates weren’t getting the clinical training they needed because an instructor repeatedly dismissed students early — a practice Castle exposed, and the teacher was fired.

But Castle, too, was a casualty as Appalachian Technical College expelled her for, she asserts, blowing the whistle.

On Thursday, a jury awarded Castle $450,000 for the ordeal. The 55-year-old never finished her degree. But she knows telling the college administration what was happening was the right thing to do.

“I knew that if it continued, the community at-large would be at danger,” Castle said.

Castle said she and other students would arrive for clinical training early in the morning. By 8 a.m., the instructor would dismiss students.

A total of 740 hours of hands-on training is required for the degree, and Castle said meeting that requirement would be impossible based on the instructor’s actions.

“She would say, ‘this is done all the time in nursing,’” Castle said.

But still, she knew it wasn’t right. Many students were scared to let the administration know.

When she did, the college fired the instructor. Then, Castle was expelled. That was in August 2007. The following month, she filed a lawsuit.

“She was afraid that her classmates were not going to have the skills necessary and that people would die because of this,” said her attorney, James Satcher.

After two days of testimony, it took the jury less than an hour to rule in Castle’s favor, Satcher said. She was awarded $400,000 in punitive damages and $50,000 for emotional injuries.

“She was so emotional that she could not stand to be court. She was all torn up,” Satcher said. “She has cried every time I’ve ever met her about this.”

The state Attorney General’s office represented the college.

“We disagree with the jury’s verdict,” said Russ Willard, spokesman for the Attorney General’s office. “We are reviewing our options with what the state may do going forward.”

Castle said she and her husband moved to Jasper so she could attend the college and pursue her dream of being a nurse. With their children grown, the time was right for Castle to go back to school.

In 2005, she started prerequisite courses. Castle struggled with math, but she didn’t give up, even earning straight A’s.

But the lawsuit against the college has consumed the past two years, Castle said. She and her husband now live in Kennesaw.

Thursday’s ruling gives Castle hope about the justice system.

“I was able to tell my story to a jury of my peers,” she said.

But she has no plans right now for returning to school to finish the degree.

“That was my dream. When that happened, it was like my dream was taken away,” Castle said. “There’s nothing like having your hope gone.”