The death of a 7-year-old Virginia girl from an apparent allergic reaction is raising new questions about how schools and parents handle potentially life-threatening conditions.

Ammaria Johnson, a first-grader at Hopkins Elementary School in Chesterfield County, near Richmond, died Monday afternoon after apparently ingesting something that triggered allergy-related breathing and heart problems, according to Lt. Jason Elmore with the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS department. The child reportedly suffered from allergies to several substances, including nuts and eggs.

Paramedics got a 911 call from school officials at 2:26 p.m. saying a child was in distress, Elmore said.

"When our crews arrived less than five minutes later, the child was already in cardiac arrest," he said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

School officials did not treat the girl with medication such as an epinephrine EpiPen, which can reverse severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis. Shawn Smith, a spokesman for the Chesterfield County Public Schools district, would not speak directly about the child's death. However, he said that school officials do administer life-saving medication when they have a treatment plan on file -- and when the parent supplies the appropriate drugs.

"Execution of the plan is dependent on the parent's ability to inform the school of needs and to provide appropriate resources," Smith said in a statement to msnbc.com.