A father is suing a Florida school district after his teenage daughter with a severe nut allergy fell into a coma and died after eating baklava at her high school.
Kayleen Brown, 17, of Jacksonville, tragically died on April 30, 2023 after she was served the popular dessert on April 27 at Atlantic Coast High School.
Not familiar with the dish, Kayleen asked school staff if the baklava was nut-free and was told it was, according to the lawsuit filed by her father, Steven Brown.
After hearing that it contained no nuts, Kayleen ate the dessert and “soon discovered that the food she had eaten contained pistachios,” according to the legal filing.
The teen soon developed allergy symptoms and told a school employee she was having a reaction because of the nuts.
According to the lawsuit, Duval County Public School district officials “were aware that she had eaten nuts and was experiencing symptoms related to her food allergy and allowed her to leave campus,” but did not send her for evaluation the school nurse.
After Kayleen left school, she rushed to a local pharmacy and bought Benadryl to ease her symptoms, but upon arrival she suffered anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest just three days before falling into a coma and dying.
Now her father is blaming the school district, which he says was well aware of his child’s deadly allergy when he and his child developed a food allergy management and prevention plan for her.
Kayleen Brown, 17, of Jacksonville, tragically died on April 30, 2023 after being served peanut-laced baklava at Atlantic Coast High School on April 27.
Not familiar with the dish, Kayleen asked school staff if the baklava was nut-free and was told it was, according to the lawsuit filed by her father, Steven Brown.
The plan requires school staff to recognize and report signs of an allergic reaction and not allow students, like Kayleen, to “walk to the school nurse or ride the school bus alone,” according to the lawsuit.
The plan, which “provided guidelines to ensure a safe and healthy educational environment for students with life-threatening food allergies,” was not followed by the school because employees “breached its duty to Kayleen,” the filing said.
Steven further alleged that the school district failed to train its employees on food allergen procedures and failed to follow the food allergy plan for his deceased daughter.
According to the wrongful death lawsuit, filed in July, he is suing the Duval County Public School District for unspecified damages in excess of $50,000, resulting from the “direct and proximate result” of DCPS’s negligence.
That money will go toward the costs the student’s family endured after her death, including funeral costs, medical bills, lost income and the suffering of her mother and father.
Her father blames the school district, which he says was well aware of his child’s fatal allergy when he and his child developed a food allergy management and prevention plan for her.
The distraught father told News4JAX: “My first question was, you know, ‘Why did she leave school? Or why was she allowed to leave school if the teacher knew she was having an allergic reaction?’
“My first question would be, ‘Why wasn’t 911 called?'” he added.
The family’s attorney, Ted Pina, described the unimaginable loss Kayleen’s loved ones have experienced since her death.
“It’s sometimes hard to imagine that someone could die from something like that, but it can and it does happen,” he told the outlet.
The lawsuit also calls for a jury trial against the school district. DailyMail.com contacted DCPS for comment.
After graduating, Kayleen planned to start her very first job and attend Florida State College in Jacksonville before attending the University of Central Florida. according to her obituary.
After graduating, Kayleen planned to start her very first job and attend Florida State College in Jacksonville before attending the University of Central Florida.
“Kayleen loved the beach, the water and waking up early to watch the sunrise. She was an AP Art student who loved painting and drawing,” it added.
A GoFundMe page was founded to help her family pay her medical bills.
Her grandmother, Anne Brown, who created the donation page, revealed that she had been to the ball just before her sudden death.
“Kayleen aspired to become an anesthesiologist, had the grades to achieve it and everything she could think of,” Anne wrote.
The grandmother also revealed that her parents had decided to donate her organ, adding: “We can take comfort that she will live on.”
“No one is ever prepared for a precious life to end so abruptly or at such a young age.”
More than $27,900 was raised to help the family Thursday morning.