Houston ISD releases limited details on death of Marshall Middle School student

HOUSTON – The Houston Independent School District (HISD) has released an update on the death of Marshall Middle School student Landon Payton.

Payton died Wednesday from complications from a medical emergency on school grounds. Landon's father, Alexis, said he only saw a video of what happened after his son collapsed and was “mad as hell” that the district did not show him everything that happened.

“I just want a degree. They don't even want to give me a degree,” Payton said.

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In a statement, HISD expressed its continued support for Landon's family and would provide the family with as much information as possible about the circumstances of Landon's death.

“We continue to mourn with Landon Payton's family and the Marshall Middle School community. We will continue to do everything we can to support the family during this incredibly difficult time,” the district said.

Houston ISD stated that they are limited in the amount of personal information they can disclose due to state and federal privacy laws. However, they did provide the following limited information:

• Landon experienced a medical emergency in the gymnasium in front of the physical education teacher and special education teacher. Prior to this incident, the teachers had no indication that the child was unwell. The teachers acted immediately, radioing the school nurse and calling 911.
• The students in physical education class had been engaged in light physical activity for most of the class and had been “free play” for the last part of the class when the medical emergency occurred. They were asked to sit down while staff tended to Landon, and shortly thereafter they were released from the gym.
• Medical officials have not provided the county with a cause of death. The county is unable to determine the cause of death as that can only be determined by medical officials.
• The nurse who provided Landon's medical care is a registered nurse with a valid license. Before starting at HISD in February 2024, she worked at Harris Health System for 30 years, including as a cardiac and pulmonary surgery nurse.
• The temperature in the gymnasium immediately after the incident was 22 degrees. School administrators raised no concerns about the temperature in any part of the building throughout the day.

So far, medical authorities have not provided HISD with a clear cause of death.

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The district is confident that staff and emergency services responded quickly and did everything possible to care for Landon.

They will provide more information to the community as soon as possible.