Father of Marshall MS student upset with Houston ISD after his son died following 'medical emergency'
HOUSTON - The father of a student who had a medical emergency on Wednesday and later died is upset with Houston ISD regarding transparency about what happened to his child.
FOX 26 spoke with Alexis Payton, the father of the Landon Payton, after he met with Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles on Friday afternoon.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Marshall MS student dead following medical emergency: Houston ISD
"All I want is closure. They don't even want to give me closure," said Payton.
The father stated that the only video he's seen is what happened after his son collapsed.
The father said "I'm angry as hell" as the district hasn't shown him everything that occurred.
'You gotta realize that's my baby. Ain't never had no heart problems, never had no seizure problems, nothing. Never. Healthy. Matter of fact we had a physician, four months ago, make sure he was healthy," said Payton.
The father was asked as reports stated that the defibrillator at the campus wasn't working.
He responded saying, "The defibrillator works. She just didn't know how to run it."
In a statement late Friday afternoon from Houston ISD, they said that Landon suffered a, "medical emergency during a P.E. class and that 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."
The full statement from Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles said, "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."