Family sue after daughter, 17, with nut allergy died from eating dessert at school
Emily Brown
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The father of a 17-year-old Florida high school student has filed a lawsuit against the school district after his daughter died due to an allergic reaction to nuts.
Kayleen Brown, a student at Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville, had been attending a school activity meeting on April 27, 2023, before she began to feel the effects of her allergy.
In an effort to protect Kayleen while at school, the teen and her family had worked with the Duval County Public School district (DCPS) to develop a Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan with the Duval County Public School district (DCPS).
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Part of this plan involved DCPS employees being trained to recognize symptoms of an allergic reaction, to administer epinephrine, and to launch an emergency response if Kayleen was exposed to nuts.
However, Kayleen's father, Steven Brown, has alleged his daughter was served baklava while at the school meeting; a layered dessert made with filo pastry, chopped nuts, and a sweetener like syrup or honey.
The dessert was found to contain pistachio nuts, the lawsuit reported by Law and Crime claims, but staff allegedly assured Kayleen that the dessert was nut-free.
The teenager ate the dessert and began to experience a reaction. She allegedly told a school employee before going to a local pharmacy, where she obtained Benadryl to treat her symptoms. Her reaction worsened by the time she arrived at the pharmacy, and she experienced anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest.
Kayleen ultimately fell into a coma, and later sadly died.
Brown's lawsuit claims that despite being aware of Kayleen's reaction, school staff failed to take her to a school nurse, contact emergency response, or initiate Kayleen’s emergency action plan.
The father is suing the school district over wrongful death, claiming DCPS employees were negligent in serving the dessert, that it failed to train staffers on food allergen procedures, and was negligent in following its own food allergy management and prevention plan.
The lawsuit aims to obtain damages that exceed $50,000 to address medical and funeral expenses incurred by Kaleen's death, as well as lost income and the suffering of Kayleen’s parents. A GoFundMe page has also been set up by Kayleen's family in the wake of her death.
In a statement cited by First Coast News, DCPS said: "We are very sorry to hear about the tragic passing of this young person, and our sympathies go out to the family. Because this matter appears to involve pending litigation, and direct response will come within the context of judicial proceedings."
UNILAD has reached out to the Duval County Public School district for additional comment.