JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville family whose daughter died after consuming food with nuts at a school event is suing Duval County Public Schools, saying that negligence by employees at Atlantic Coast High School caused her death.

The lawsuit says that 17-year-old Kayleen Brown, daughter of Sue Soth and Steven Brown, had a severe allergy to nuts, which DCPS was aware of. 

The lawsuit tells the story of Kayleen Brown’s death: At the school “activity meeting” on April 27, 2023, students were served food. She wanted to try baklava and asked the school employees if it had nuts; she was told that it did not, according to the lawsuit. 

The filing says that she told a school employee that she was having symptoms of an allergic reaction, then left the school to try to obtain Benadryl for the reaction. 

When Brown arrived at the pharmacy, she went into anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest. She was in a coma until her death three days later. 

DCPS has a Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan, which the lawsuit says requires employees to be trained to recognize symptoms of an allergic reaction, know how to administer an EpiPen and know how to contact emergency services if a student has a reaction. The lawsuit says the employees failed to meet the expectations laid out by this policy.

Brown’s parents allege that she was negligently served the food and the staff failed to warn her. Then they failed to take her to a school nurse, call emergency services or treat her with an EpiPen. The lawsuit also alleges the school was negligent in letting her leave.

Her family is asking for a settlement of $50,000 or more. The settlement is intended to pay for medical and funeral expenses, lost income and the suffering of Brown’s parents.

The lawsuit requests a jury trial to decide the matter. 

First Coast News has reached out to DCPS for a statement and will update this story if one is provided.