A Lakeville eighth grader suffered a serious brain injury in April when she was sent back to gym class after an asthma attack, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court.
Aaliyah Bowen’s parents are seeking more than $10 million from the Lakeville school district and a McGuire Middle School nurse.
According to the complaint, the nurse knew Bowen had a long history of asthma attacks sparked by even minimal physical exertion. They say the nurse administered an albuterol inhaler on April 16 but failed to test her breathing and told Bowen to return to gym class despite an elevated heart beat.
Back in class, Bowen lost consciousness and was without enough oxygen for 30 minutes.
“Tragically, she sustained a catastrophic and permanent brain injury and remains in a persistent vegetative state,” the complaint reads.
Bowen now requires around-the-clock care and medical treatment. Two online fundraisers for the family have raised over $6,000.
Her parents, Kenyatta Bowen and Marquetta Silva, charge in the lawsuit that the school had documentation of Aaliyah’s medical needs long before the incident and should have created a plan to accommodate the teen’s disability.
The school district released the following statement Wednesday in response to a request for comment:
“Lakeville Area Schools are deeply saddened by the medical incident regarding one of our students last April. We express our deepest sympathy for the student and family. The district takes student health seriously and abides by medical protocols and emergency response procedures. It is our position that the Lakeville Area Schools are not responsible for the injuries outlined in the complaint.”
The nurse still works for the school. She has no disciplinary record, a district spokesman said.