PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Inspections of school cafeterias by representatives of the Rhode Island Department of Health look at 56 issues, including proper handwashing practices, signs of rodent droppings, and food temperature regulation.
Rhode Island schools receive assistance from the health department’s Center for Food Protection in order to comply with food safety regulations. Every public and private school is inspected twice a year, but if serious infractions are discovered, the school is subject to additional scrutiny.
The Center for Food Protection’s Brendalee Viveiros told Target 12 that hand washing, maintaining proper food temperatures, and cross-contamination are some of the most frequent serious infractions.
Higher chances of disease
“There is an immediate health hazard if there are critical violations,” Viveiros stated. According to her, serious violations are issues that have a higher chance of resulting in disease. Target 12 examined inspection reports from the five biggest public school districts in Rhode Island, which are Warwick, Pawtucket, Providence, Cranston, and Woonsocket.
According to the R.I. Department of Education’s most recent enrollment figures, Providence Public Schools served more than twice as many students in the 2022–2023 academic year as Cranston Public Schools.
Two weeks later, an inspection revealed that the bay still hadn’t been fixed and that a hamburger wasn’t cooked to the right temperature. November’s follow-up inspection revealed that the school has fixed earlier problems.
After discovering mouse droppings behind a milk case and vending machine at Samuel Slater Middle School in Pawtucket in February, inspectors were forced to conduct follow-up visits.
More droppings were discovered during a March inspection, and the school was told to keep up with additional pest management, keep an eye out for any activity, and clean up any droppings. With 35 infractions since 2021, Cranston High School West has the highest number of infractions of any public school in the city, according to Target 12. Last year, ten infractions were discovered.
Poor water pressure
A dead mouse was discovered under equipment in the main service line, and inspectors discovered a “accumulation” of rodent droppings throughout the kitchen during a regular inspection in February.
Inspectors discovered poor water pressure in a hand sink and reported a repeat infraction against the school after discovering paint on the ceiling in the ware-washing facility, which is where dishes and utensils are cleaned.
Early in February, inspectors discovered that there was “an accumulation of food and debris” on school property, that a door leading outside did not fit tightly, that there were repeated rat droppings in a dry storage area, and that single service items were in close proximity to the rodent droppings.
There were even more infractions when inspectors returned to Central for a follow-up inspection at the end of the month. More mouse droppings were discovered all throughout the building, food cans were seen stacked on the floor, an open dumpster outside, and a loose door had not been fixed. A bag of rice “was observed with gnaw marks.
