How clean and healthy are the cafeterias in RI’s largest school districts?
by: Alexandra Leslie
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Proper handwashing, evidence of rodent droppings and food-temperature control are among the 56 items that R.I. Department of Health officials examine in school cafeterias inspections.
The health department’s Center for Food Protection assists Rhode Island schools in meeting food safety requirements. Inspectors visit every public and private school twice a year, but schools are scrutinized further if they’re found to have critical violations.
Brendalee Viveiros, who runs the Center for Food Protection, told Target 12 some of the most common critical violations include hand washing, proper food temperatures and cross-contamination.
“If there are critical violations, that’s an imminent health hazard,” Viveiros said.
She said critical violations are problems that are more likely to lead to illness.
Viveiros said the Health Department can ultimately decide to close a school cafeteria, but said she cannot recall the state doing so in recent years.
Target 12 reviewed inspection reports from Rhode Island’s five largest public school districts: Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Warwick and Woonsocket. The most recent enrollment data from the R.I. Department of Education showed Providence Public Schools served more than double the number of Cranston Public School students in the 2022-2023 school year.
Target 12’s review of inspection data found there were 380 violations in Providence, 254 violations in Cranston, 180 violations in Pawtucket, 165 violations in Woonsocket and 80 violations in Warwick from the fall of 2021 through the spring of 2024.
Reinspections were triggered in several schools last year.
For example, when inspectors went to Cedar Hill Elementary School in Warwick last October, they found a steam table bay was not in good repair.
A reinspection performed two weeks later found the bay was still not repaired, and inspectors also found a hamburger wasn’t the proper temperature. A second reinspection performed in November found the school corrected previous issues.
Inspectors also had to make additional visits after finding rodent droppings under a milk case and vending machine at Samuel Slater Middle School in Pawtucket in February. A March reinspection found more droppings, and the school was ordered to continue with increased pest control, monitor for activity and clean any droppings.
An inspection at Francis J. Varieur Elementary School in February found evidence of pests and floor tiles in the kitchen were in poor repair. When a reinspection was performed at the Pawtucket school in March, inspectors found the problem persisted and ordered the school to continue with increased pest control, monitor for activity and continue to clean all droppings.
Target 12 found Cranston High School West had the most violations out of any public school in the city with 35 violations overall since 2021. Ten violations were found last year.
During a routine inspection in February, inspectors found an “accumulation” of rodent droppings throughout the kitchen, and a dead mouse was observed under equipment in the main service line. A hand sink was found to have low water pressure, plus inspectors said the school had a repeat violation when they found paint on the ceiling in the ware-washing area, where dishes and utensils are cleaned.
Inspectors said the chipping paint was still not addressed in a March reinspection and also found that floors in the generator room, ware-washing room and inside the bottom drawer of the deli handwashing sink had an accumulation of old rodent droppings.
Viveiros said inspectors tend to find more evidence of rodent activity in older buildings or when the weather gets cooler. She said it’s not always considered a critical violation.
“What we don’t want to see is rodent droppings in food,” Viveiros said. “Sometimes we might see rodent droppings on floors or shelving, and this is actually a good opportunity for us to increase prevention and monitoring.”
No reinspections were performed in Woonsocket schools last year.
The state-run Providence Public School District went back to school on Tuesday.
Target 12’s review showed 188 violations were found in PPSD schools in the 2023-2024 school year, with reinspections at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Del Sesto Middle School, Hope High School and two reinspections each at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School and Central High School.
In early February, inspectors found equipment at Central High School had “an accumulation of food and debris,” a door to the outside was not tight-fitting, a repeat violation of rodent droppings throughout a dry storage room, and single service items were in direct contact with rodent droppings.
When inspectors went back to Central at the end of the month for a reinspection, there were even more violations. A bag of rice “was observed with gnaw marks,” more rodent droppings were found throughout the facility, cans of food were observed stored on the floor, an outside dumpster wasn’t covered and the loose door had not been addressed.
Inspectors went back for a second reinspection in March and found a milk cooler had “an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris,” and the dumpster was still not covered.
Providence Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez told Target 12 he wasn’t raising the alarm on any schools.
“I think we’re doing a pretty good job,” Montañez said. “When I say we’re doing a pretty good job, know that we always say there’s always room for growth.”
The superintendent said the district is still working on its goal to place 100% of students in new or “like-new” schools by 2030, which he hoped in turn would result in fewer health violations.
“We want to make sure that our students are in facilities that they deserve, making sure that everything is top shape and that everything is working prior to the opening of school,” Montañez said. “When it comes to the older facilities, sometimes we have to take extra steps to make sure that we’re fixing any of the issues that may come up.”
Montañez said in February the district took steps to keep facilities and their cafeterias clean by upping trash removal from three days a week to five. The superintendent said there have been efforts to make schools greener by introducing composting and recycling efforts.
Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook.
Eli Sherman contributed to this report.