Houston teachers' union being told defibrillator wasn't working when Marshall MS student collapsed

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Federation of Teachers says staff members at Marshall Middle School told the union that the school's defibrillator wasn't working when an eighth-grade boy collapsed during gym class in front of other students and staff, who tried to help on Wednesday.

Defibrillators are used to help restore a person's heartbeat when it stops.

"The teachers at the campus feel that it could have made a difference. The time lost trying to find the backup model, waiting for EMS to get there," Corina Ortiz with the Houston Federation of Teachers said.

Ortiz said a third-party contractor is supposed to service the devices once a year, but it's unclear if that happened at Marshall.

"Why was this machine not checked? What happened?" Ortiz asked.

Paramedics were called a little before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and took the boy to the hospital, but HISD confirmed the student had died a day later.

It's still not immediately clear what caused the child's death.

"We are devastated by the loss of a student of Marshall Middle School. Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to the parents and family," HISD said in a statement on Thursday.

Eyewitness News reached out to HISD for comment late Thursday after the union's non-functioning defibrillator claim but hasn't received a response.

State Rep. Christina Morales visited Marshall Middle School on Thursday after sending a letter to HISD and the Texas Education Agency demanding answers about what transpired on Wednesday.

She said she ran into the boy's father, and he knew no more than she did.

"I told him, 'You should be getting answers before we do,' and he has not. He has not gotten any answers, and he doesn't know what happened," Morales said.

HISD did not clarify when the student died but only announced his death on Thursday.

The district added that a crisis response team was at the school and will remain on campus for the remainder of the week.

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