HOUSTON — A family is still pressing HISD for answers one month almost to the day since Marshall Middle School student Landon Payton collapsed on campus and died.
His family is now working with FIEL -- an advocacy group -- to keep the conversation going. They addressed the school board on Thursday.
People showed up in red -- Landon's favorite color. Landon's family was also at the meeting.
The tragedy struck a nerve in the community. Community members voiced their displeasure during the meeting, even causing board members to step out for a break when they wouldn't stop chanting.
When KHOU 11 News first spoke to Landon's father, Alexis, he said he wouldn't make the fight easy for HISD and it appears he's standing by that statement.
Houston ISD welcomed kids back to classes a month ago. Two days into the semester, eighth grader Landon Payton died after a medical emergency inside the school's gymnasium.
"The Payton family came up to us about a week ago very distraught. They’ve obviously been through so much," FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa said.
Alexis has remained out front in the wake of his son's death while pressing the district for answers, many of which he said he still hasn't gotten.
"The family should be first and foremost to receive answers about what happened to their son," Rep. Christina Morales said.
Determined to press on, Espinosa said they're stepping up to provide re-enforcement.
"At the end of the day, we want to make sure that families feel encouraged and feel powered so they can be their own voice and seek the justice they deserve," Espinosa said.
FIEL is an advocacy organization that works closely with immigrants and communities of color. Espinosa and his team of supporters dressed in red were expected to address the HISD board. They want HISD to form a task force that will look into issues with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the district. They also want Landon's family to be appointed to that task force.
"It’s appalling that we’re talking about a kid that died on school grounds during school hours and was not able to be helped by anybody until paramedics arrived," Espinosa said.
The family is still waiting to find out Landon's cause of death.
The family attorney has said that there wasn't a working AED in the school. The district didn't give specifics on AEDs at Marshall but did later say there were more than 175 non-working AEDs district-wide.
"At the end of the day, they paid a very high cost for something that fell through the cracks of our system," Espinosa said.
Supporters of Landon's family said they don't believe student safety is prioritized.
"Schools that are predominantly Black and brown, we see that there is less funding," Espinoza said.
Others at Thursday's board meeting criticized a multi-billion-dollar bond proposal.
According to HISD, the $4.4 billion bond would create safe and healthy campuses and restore schools.
Those who are against the bond called for residents to vote against it.
"I feel like we are between a rock and a hard place right now," HISD parent Serena Houlihan said.
Houlihan said she understands the district needs the money but she said there's a lack of trust with the state-appointed board.
"I do not want my tax dollars going towards a bond that that group of people will be responsible for administering," Houlihan said.
Parents said students are the ones caught in the middle of it all.