Politicians request letter grades for NYC school cafeterias

A group of New York state senators are calling for New York City school cafeterias to receive letter grades based on their sanitary conditions, similar to the ratings assigned to the city’s restaurants, Grub Street reports.

The request came after the lawmakers released a report analyzing the sanitary conditions of public school cafeterias. In looking at cafeteria inspection reports, which are not normally made public, the group found that the city’s 1,800 schools had received 8,114 health violations in the past year.

The cafeterias were cited for violations such as roach infestations and dried food waste behind kitchen equipment. If the letter grading system were in effect, 31% of the schools would receive a “C” grade, according to the report.

The group wants letter grades to be posted at schools and be included in the Department of Education’s annual quality reports. Representatives for the health and education departments are reviewing the proposal and are working to make cafeteria inspection reports more accessible to the public.

Read the full story via grubstreet.com.