Introduction to a Tragedy
A banner in remembrance of Marshall Middle School student Landon Payton, who died on August 14, 2024, is displayed near the campus marquee in Houston. More than nine months after Landon Payton collapsed and died during a P.E. class, it remains unclear how exactly he died and whether the Houston ISD employees on hand that day could have saved him.
The Unclear Circumstances of Landon Payton’s Death
The cause of Payton’s death was initially listed as "pending" on the website for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. However, the website was updated last month to cite his cause of death as "undetermined." The Houston Federation of Teachers, a union that represents thousands of teachers and other employees in Houston ISD, said that a school nurse tried to use an AED on him, but the device wasn’t working. Records showed that the AED in the Marshall Middle School gym had expired electrode pads during an inspection three months before Payton’s death.
Legislative Response to the Tragedy
Texas lawmakers have taken steps to help ensure that similar tragedies are prevented. Lawmakers passed the “Landon Payton Act” in honor of the 14-year-old student who died. If signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, Senate Bill 865 would require all public schools and open-enrollment charter schools in the state to create cardiac emergency response plans and train certain staff members and students in CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. Abbott has already signed Senate Bill 1177, which will require all schools in Texas to have their campus AEDs inspected at the time of a fire safety inspection.
The Landon Payton Act
The Landon Payton Act would require school nurses, assistant nurses, athletic coaches, P.E. teachers, cheerleading coaches, marching band directors, and student athletic trainers to be certified in CPR and the use of an AED. State Rep. Christina Morales, a Houston Democrat who represents the Payton family and supported both bills, said, "This bill is about literally saving seconds, because every second matters whenever there’s an emergency situation like this." The bill would require Texas public schools and some private schools to have a cardiac emergency response plan in place for the 2025-26 school year.
Reaction from the Payton Family and Houston ISD
The Payton family has been involved in the legislative process, with Payton’s stepmother and father attending a Houston ISD board meeting. Morales said she recently spoke to Payton’s father about the passage of Senate Bill 865, and he was grateful that the bill was named after Landon. Houston ISD declined to comment on Payton’s cause of death or the bills, citing “pending legal action.” An attorney representing the Payton family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Conclusion
The death of Landon Payton has led to significant changes in Texas law, with the passage of the Landon Payton Act and Senate Bill 1177. These bills aim to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future by requiring schools to have cardiac emergency response plans and trained staff members. While the exact circumstances of Payton’s death may never be known, his legacy will live on through the lives that will be saved by these new laws.
