IN-Tech’s cafeteria cleans up its act

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Four school cafeterias with evidence of rat activity. One school cafeteria with 400 spots of mice excreta. Another with 130 flies. Would you—or your child—knowingly eat there?

Many schools in the city, and at least one in the northwest Bronx racked up various violations when health inspectors looked at their cafeteria, according to data gathered by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene during the 2015-2016 academic year and summarized in local politicians’ report titled “School Lunch Flunks: An Investigation into the Dirtiest New York City Public School Cafeterias.”

The report, which used restaurant rating-style letter grades to rate school cafeterias, was released by members of the Independent Democratic Conference, led by state Sen. Jeffrey Klein.

The school in the northwest Bronx that racked enough violations to receive a “C” grade was IN-Tech Academy (M.S./H.S. 368). After city officials inspected it on May 5, the school scored 28 points, making it one the “dirtiest” in the city, according to the IDC report.

After that, city agencies got IN-Tech to clean up its act, the city’s Health Department spokeswoman Stephanie Buhle said in an email. When inspectors visited again on May 26 and then again on Nov. 14, the school’s “cafeteria received a score in the ‘A’ range,” Buhle said.

“The Health Department has rigorous standards for inspecting all food establishments, including school cafeterias,” Buhle said. “The Health Department and DOE work closely together to correct violations quickly. Students can be confident that schools are serving food that is safe for them to eat.”

Some of IN-Tech’s included cafeteria employees cutting food on an improperly constructed or maintained surface, concerns regarding cold storage and refrigeration, and evidence of mice.

But Buhle said that overall, school cafeterias in the city “perform very well on health inspections,” with 86 percent of the schools earning the equivalent of an A grade on initial inspection, compared to 59 percent of restaurants.

Education Department spokeswoman Toya Holness also sought to assuage concerns about school cafeterias.

“We are dedicated to providing students with nutritious meals in cafeterias that are clean and safe and have detailed protocols in place to ensure any violations are immediately escalated and addressed,” she said in an email.

During the 2015-2016 financial year, inspectors looked at 1,377 school cafeteria and handed out 442 mice-related violations to 320 schools.

Much of the data – including the improved grades IN-Tech earned during follow-up inspections – was not listed in the report by Klein’s IDC. An aide from Klein’s office, said the report was intended as a snapshot of cafeteria problems based on initial findings, not the results of follow-up visits.

In the upcoming legislative session, Klein and his fellow IDC members plan to introduce legislation to create a grading system for school cafeterias and make that information available to the public, according to the senator’s website.

“When parents send their children to school, they expect them to be in a safe, clean environment throughout the day, including during their lunch period,” Klein said in a statement.

IN-Tech Academy, Department of Health, Department of Education, School Lunch Flunks: An Investigation into the Dirtiest New York City Public School Cafeterias, Cafeteria Report, School Cafeteria Report

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