Menchville student who died didn’t get care for 16 minutes as adults looked on, lawyers say

A 16-year-old student from Menchville High School passed out at school and died as a result of several adults failing to intervene, according to the complaint, which has been filed for $85 million. Co-council Mark Krudys and civil rights lawyer Ben Crump announced the lawsuit at a press conference Thursday. They assert that Kaleiah Jones, who passed away at Menchville High School on February 20, 2024, due to a heart condition, was denied vital medical attention for sixteen minutes before rescuers could reach.

We can’t just let people say, ‘Oh, that was unfortunate,’ and ignore it, which is why we filed this action. Would you be okay with it if it were your child? Crump was questioned. The purpose of this action is to assert that Kaleiah’s life was significant. And we need to perform better. According to Krudys, the incidents are captured on an unreleased video shot at the school. Jones tumbled to the ground after collapsing against a locker when she was grinning and leaving a driver’s education session.

Krudys stated, “A lot of people responded, but they didn’t do anything.” “… After 16 minutes of being unconscious, Kaleiah is only given CPR for 17 seconds, and no one gets the AED. None were brought to the scene, despite the fact that there are three of them in that school.

According to Krudys, a school resource officer did not begin CPR on Jones until nine minutes after his fall, yet he “unfathomably” stopped after 17 seconds. The rescue team, who seemed “perplexed and angry” about the lack of response, would arrive in another seven minutes, according to Krudys. Krudys underlined that administrators and educators must be trained in CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator, or AED. “Kaleiah needed the principal, assistant principal, SROs, the police on the scene, and her teachers to step up and take charge of this situation,” Krudys stated.

When you send your children out, you are putting your trust in these people to look after them. However, nobody does anything besides the 17 seconds that the SRO performs CPR, which is incomprehensible. The school nurse was also present, Krudys noted. When the SRO stopped performing CPR, the school nurse was kneeling just next to him, as seen in the video. She remained there the whole time.

Jones, who had a documented medical issue at the time, had recently undergone surgery. According to Jones’ mother, the school was informed and provided with the necessary paperwork for Jones’ accommodations. Keyonna Stewart, Jones’ mother, stated, “I can’t go a day without thinking about Kaleiah and saying her name.” “This daily pain is intolerable, and I miss her terribly.”

Stewart stated that she wants her daughter’s legacy to have significance. “We’re here to represent Kaleiah and hope that no other parent will have to represent their child in my place,” Stewart stated. Jones’ family claims that her death was avoidable due to the egregious negligence of school administrators and employees. Nine people are named as defendants in the complaint, together with the City of Newport News and the Newport News School Board.