DUNCANVILLE, Texas — A parent claims a school in North Texas served moldy food to her daughter during lunch period last week.
Keandrae Banks said her daughter sent a photo of the lunch items she received at Byrd Middle School in Duncanville ISD on Friday, April 28. The woman said the photo included a cup of sliced pears and a partially eaten slice of pizza. She claims she got angry when she took a close look at the pizza crust.
“My baby and her friends, they ate the pizza, but after they realized it didn't taste right, they flipped it over and that's when they seen all of that mold,” explained Banks.
This week, the concerned mom began blasting the middle school and its lunch program on social media. Other parents began chiming in about their children having similar complaints about food quality.
“My baby has been complaining to me about her food for some time now, but to be honest, as a parent, I thought that she was just being spoiled and wanted me to bring her Chick-fil-A and bring her food and stuff every day. When she sent me that picture, I'm like wait a minute! I kind of felt bad,” said Banks said.
According to Duncanville ISD, no student has reported issues concerning food in the past week. A spokesperson for the school district said the manufacturer was contacted and that company is doing a quality control inspection.
Duncanville ISD went on to say staff verified the food was cooked to specifications, and an inspection of the remaining pizzas found no concerns. Sample plate created for every meal served in the cafeteria were pulled, and did not identify any issues.
The school district also added all pre-made products will get additional inspection before being cooked and served.
This isn’t the first time students and parents have complained of moldy or spoiled foods at schools in North Texas. Last school year, Dallas ISD launched an investigation after parents found molded breakfast items at Geneva Heights Elementary. Discolored sandwich meat at Kimball High School triggered a student walkout over food safety concerns.
"At the end of the day, if that was your child that you was sending to that school, would you want your child eating that same food?” Banks asked.
Duncanville ISD said this appears to be an isolated issue, though Banks said she disagreed with that statement.