HOUSTON – Alexis Payton, a grieving father, is searching for answers after the sudden death of his teenage son, Landon, who collapsed on the gym floor at Marshall Middle School this past Wednesday.
Payton described his as a young boy with dreams of becoming a football player and gamer.
He was told by the school that Landon was shooting basketball hoops when the incident occurred.
Payton said his son always kept to himself and had a passion for football.
“His dream was to be a football player and a gamer. That was it. That was his dream. He loved football. He didn’t bother anybody; he stuck to himself, and that’s what he wanted to do,” Payton shared.
On Friday, Payton visited Houston Independent School District’s headquarters to see the video footage of the incident. He said he wants to understand what school officials did to assist his son and, most importantly, whether the school’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED) worked or failed during the emergency.
“I want to know what happened to my son, that’s it. I still don’t know,” Payton said.
READ: Houston ISD says student who suffered medical emergency at Marshall Middle School has died
Under Texas state law, every school is required to have functioning defibrillators on hand. However, Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, has raised concerns after speaking with staff members at Marshall Middle School.
“I got calls from several of the staff members at Marshall describing to me, as best they could, what they saw. They said that the nurse or someone went and got the defibrillator. They tried to use it on the boy, but it was not working,” Anderson stated.
Anderson also mentioned that staff members from four other HISD schools have reported similar issues with their defibrillator machines, raising concerns about the safety measures in place across the district.
KPRC 2 Investigates has reached out to HISD officials for a response regarding the alleged failure of the defibrillator at Marshall Middle School and the reported issues at other schools. As of now, there has been no response from HISD.
The incident has left a family in mourning and a community demanding answers about the safety protocols in place to protect their children.
HISD superintendent Mike Miles released the following statement Friday:
“On Wednesday, Houston ISD experienced a tremendous loss. We are devastated by the death of Landon Payton, a Marshall Middle School student. Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to his family. They are our utmost priority in this unimaginable time. We have been focused this week on gathering information for the family and have prioritized that above all else. We have also focused on providing resources and counseling to support the students and staff of Marshall Middle School.
“I am thankful for the swift actions of our school employees, school nurse, and police officers. I am also grateful for the rapid response from EMS and the Houston Fire department. I understand that many want to better understand what happened on August 14th. Right now, the district’s priority is communicating directly with Landon’s family and respecting their privacy. What we can share with you now is that Landon experienced a medical emergency during a P.E. class, and he received immediate medical assistance from HISD staff, HISD Police, and medical personnel. He also received medical assistance from EMS and was transferred to the hospital by the EMS team.
“As a father myself, my heart is broken for Landon’s family. The district is committed to them and will do everything we can to support them and our grieving community. The health and safety of our precious students is my top priority and the top priority of the HISD educators and staff. Again, I know you have more questions. This is the only information I can share at this time.”