A father is suing a Florida school district after his 17-year-old daughter died following an allergic reaction to baklava served at her high school. Kayleen Brown, from Jacksonville, fell into a coma and died on 30 April 2023, three days after eating the dessert at Atlantic Coast High School.
According to the lawsuit filed by her father, Steven Brown, Kayleen asked school staff if the baklava was nut-free and was assured it was. She then ate it and soon discovered it contained pistachio nuts. Despite informing a staff member of her reaction, she was allowed to leave campus without being sent to the school nurse.
Kayleen rushed to a pharmacy to buy Benadryl but suffered anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest. The lawsuit claims the school district failed to follow her Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan, which required staff to recognise allergic reactions and not permit students to walk alone to the nurse or leave campus.
Steven Brown is seeking unspecified damages exceeding $50,000 for negligence, including funeral expenses and lost income. The Duval County Public School District expressed sympathy but declined to comment further due to pending litigation.
