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A Texas father is seeking answers after his 14-year-old son collapsed at his middle school and later died, per FOX 26.
According to the Houston Independent School District, Landon Payton, 14, suffered a "medical emergency" at Marshall Middle School on August 14.
School staff and personnel assisted Payton after he collapsed on the gym floor and suffered multiple seizures, the district said. Payton was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Payton's father, Alexis, said the district showed him footage from the moments after his son's seizures, but he's still unsure of what unfolded before the incident.
“I’m angry as hell,” he told local news outlets.“That was my baby. … I’m not going to make this easy on them or me. We’re going to get (answers) one way or another.”
In the video, Alexis said a school nurse admitted to not knowing how to perform CPR or how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
“It’s a nurse you have at the school who didn’t know how to do CPR, did not know how to use the defibrillator,” the boy's father said.
Several teacher's unions said school staff members told them the AED was broken or expired. Union leaders are calling for HISD Superintendent Mike Miles and several district board members to step down in the wake of the incident.
“This oversight is entirely unacceptable and highlights a significant lapse in safety protocols,” the Houston Education Association said in the letter, per the Houston Chronicle.
Payton's father noted that his son had a clean bill of health, citing a physical exam he recently took before trying out for the school's football team, and no prior history of heart-related conditions or seizures.
“I’ve been tore up so much, not sleeping, not eating,” he said. “Never ends. It just hurts. It hurts and hurts. Crying and crying.”
In a statement, Miles said the district has been “focused on gathering information for the family.”
“As a father myself, my heart is broken for Landon’s family,” the superintendent said. “The district administration and the Marshall Middle School team is committed to the family and will do everything we can to support them during this time of crisis. The health and safety of our precious students is my top priority and the top priority of HISD educators and staff.
Payton's father is still waiting for the results of an autopsy report from the Harris County medical examiner.
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