New details on the death of HISD student Landon Payton

HOUSTON – The Houston Independent School District is releasing new details about the circumstances surrounding the death of a Marshall Middle School student.

14-year-old Landon Payton died after suffering a medical emergency in the school gym.

On Saturday, HISD sent out a statement that said, in part, “Out of respect for the privacy of the student and his family, and also to ensure accuracy, we have been careful not to release incomplete information or speculation.”

The details released reflect the restrictions of state and federal law, according to the district.

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In its update Saturday, HISD said Landon suffered a medical emergency in the gym in front of the physical education teacher and special education aide. Before that incident, the district said, teachers had no indication that the child was unwell.

The district said students had been engaged in light physical activity for most of the time in physical education class and were in “free play” during the latter part of the class when Landon suffered the medical emergency.

According to HISD, teachers acted “immediately,” radioing the school nurse and calling 911.

The students were asked to sit down while staff tended to Landon, and shortly thereafter they were released from the gym.

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The district said it had no information from medical authorities about the cause of death.

The nurse who provided medical care to Landon is a registered nurse with a valid license, according to the district. The release also states that she worked at Harris Health System for 30 years before starting at HISD in February 2024, including as a cardiac and pulmonary surgery nurse.

HISD said the temperature in the gym was 22 degrees “immediately” after the incident. School administrators raised no concerns about the temperature in any part of the building throughout the day, the district said.

The district said all information regarding the tragedy is preliminary and that they are awaiting “more information to fully understand what happened, particularly Landon's physician-determined cause of death.”

“Based on what we have learned, we are confident that the staff and emergency services responded quickly and appropriately. We believe they did everything they could and cared for Landon the way any parent would want their child cared for in an emergency,” HISD officials said.

HISD said it will share more information as it becomes available.

On Friday, we spoke again with Alexis Payton, who expressed frustration at a meeting with HISD leaders. He said they wouldn't answer his questions about what happened before Landon's death. He also said the district showed him police body camera footage, but it only showed the end of the incident.

“I was there at the end and saw my son die,” Alexis told us. “I just want closure. They don't even want to give me closure. We have to go through the legal process.”