NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of Newport News teen Kaleiah Jones announced she is suing the Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) division, several school staff members and the City of Newport News after the student's February death.
"I wake up daily with the pain and sorrow knowing my baby girl is not with me on this journey called life," Jones' mother, Keyonna Stewart, said Thursday.
Kaleiah, 16, collapsed in the hallway at Menchville High School on February 20. According to her family, no school staff rendered aid for nine minutes, despite knowing about the medical incident immediately. The family's legal team claimed Thursday, a school staffer did start CPR after those nine minutes but stopped after 17 seconds. The attorneys cite school video for the timeline, saying medics arrived 16 minutes after the teen collapsed.
"Every one of the individuals named in the complaint, we feel, had a duty to act, an obligation to act, and their failure to act caused her death," said attorney Mark Krudys.
On Thursday, Stewart joined Krudys and co-counsel Ben Crump to announce the lawsuit. Crump is a prominent civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tyre Nichols, and Trayvon Martin, among others.
Stewart described her daughter, saying, "Kaleiah was giving, kind, and always wore a smile on her face." But, she added, her daughter's death has left a void in her life, explaining, "No words can give me peace and understanding as to why this has happened and why my baby girl has left us."
The legal team said the school division is guilty of gross negligence and that Kaleiah's death could have been prevented, pointing to state law that requires AEDs to be available in public elementary and secondary schools and plans to be in place to use them. Even though the school had AEDs available, the attorneys say school staffers' failure to use them or start CPR immediately justifies the lawsuit.
"16 years old, you’re at school, it’s preventable," said Crump. "This has to be a teachable moment, so no other family has to endure this."
Stewart agreed, emphasizing her daughter's death would not be in vain. She said, "We’re standing here today to be the voice of Kaleiah in hopes that no other parent will have to stand in my place as a voice for their child."
The family is asking for $85 million for compensatory damages from the school division and city. The City of Newport News is included in the lawsuit because the Student Resource Officer (SRO) at the school is affiliated with the city.
On Thursday night, Newport News School Board released a joint statement with Newport News Public Schools.
"The Newport News School Board and the Newport News Public Schools leadership team have kept Kaleiah Jones’ family and friends in our thoughts," the statement read. "We cannot comment on the family’s pending lawsuit at this time. We know that their grief, pain and sadness are constant, and we continue to extend our deepest condolences to them."