It’s unclear whether the expired parts were replaced before 14-year-old Landon Payton collapsed in the school gym in August. It also remains unclear if a functioning device could have helped him.
It was not noted in the report, completed by a technician for a safety equipment company enlisted by Houston ISD, whether the expired pads were replaced at the time. It’s also unclear if the automated external defibrillator, or AED, was checked again before Payton, a 14-year-old student, died Aug. 14.
Texas law requires all school campuses to have functioning AEDs, which can be used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, and the devices must be inspected at least once per month.
“There are some very serious questions to be asked of both the district and the company,” said Martha Lopez-Anderson, executive director of the Florida-based nonprofit Parent Heart Watch.
Records obtained from HISD on Thursday by Houston Public Media show its 1,000-plus AEDs were inspected once apiece last school year by SafetyMed, the company contracted by the district at a cost of more than $70,000 per year. The district did not provide additional inspection records, but HISD spokesperson Richard Guerra said Thursday the devices also are inspected monthly by campus-level staff.
Guerra could not say whether expired pads or batteries are replaced at the time inspections are conducted, with the district’s contract with SafetyMed stipulating that replacement parts incur additional costs. SafetyMed did not respond to a Thursday request for comment.
Inspection reports released by HISD show that three other AEDs at Marshall Middle School also were inspected May 3 by SafetyMed. The one on the third-floor teacher’s lounge had batteries and pads that had both expired one month earlier, according to the report.
The Houston Federation of Teachers said shortly after Payton’s death in August that a school nurse tried to use an AED on Payton but the device wasn’t working. It’s unclear if a functioning AED could have helped Payton as his cause of death has not been released by the Harris County medical examiner.
Guerra said he could not specifically discuss the AEDs at Marshall, with another district representative saying in August that HISD expected to be sued by Payton’s family. The Houston attorney representing the Payton family did not respond to a Thursday email seeking comment.
When asked if AEDs with expired parts are left on display at HISD campuses, Guerra said, “What we advise our teams, the advice is to use the AED system, and if it does not function for any reason, to go into manual CPR.”
HISD reported in August, within days after Payton’s death, that 170 of its campus AEDs were not functioning. Guerra said Thursday that all the devices are working now, adding that each of the district’s 274 campuses is equipped with at least two AEDs.
Guerra also said every school with AED parts set to expire before the end of this year has been supplied with backup parts.
“The systems were not managed centrally (before September),” Guerra said, “and basically limited what the district was able to do to promote the health and safety of all the students.”
Lopez-Anderson, with Parent Heart Watch, said schools and districts are ultimately responsible for maintaining the AEDs on their campuses, even if they contract with companies such as SafetyMed.
“These devices are amazing in saving lives, but they rely on human beings to properly place and maintain them,” she said. “Not doing so is equivalent to having nothing.”
Records: Marshall Middle School AEDs were found to have expired parts months before student’s death
