DALLAS — After reports of moldy food being served to students on some school campuses, the Dallas Independent School District announced it’s removing some food items and beginning an investigation.
“The main concern we see is around breakfast,” said parent Randall Bryant. He claims moldy food items were recently served to students at Geneva Heights Elementary, where his daughter attends school.
Parents and students are sharing photos on social media showing moldy muffins, spoiled fruit and other quality-compromised foods that they claim have been served on some Dallas ISD campuses.
“Last month it was dealing with pancakes. Yesterday it was a molded muffin,” Bryant explained.
Parents also said they’re concerned about the quality of some pre-packaged cereals being distributed to students.
“It’s a shame that I have to instruct my child to go through their breakfast and their lunch as if it’s Halloween candy to look for molded items,” Bryant added.
Issues with mold and food quality have been popping up on campuses across Dallas ISD for several weeks. In late March 2022, students at Dallas ISD’s Kimball High School staged a walkout to protest food conditions, after being served bologna sandwiches with discolored meat.
That same week, administrators at Geneva Heights Elementary across town sent notices to parents explaining one of the breakfast items staff served had mold.
“We have mold in our food across Dallas ISD,” said Dallas ISD Trustee Pastor Maxie Johnson. He represents District 5.
Johnson said parents, students and some teachers have been contacting him about food quality, health and safety concerns.
“It’s very disturbing. I spoke with Dr. Hinojosa, and other trustees spoke with him about this. As you can see it’s still going on. So, there is a problem and it needs to be addressed,” Johnson said.
Dallas ISD issued the following statement:
Our students look to us to provide high-quality food options when they are in our care, and unfortunately, we have had some challenges in that area. This week, two separate incidents at Geneva Heights Elementary School are under review after concerns were reported about unacceptable food items being served. Both products were immediately pulled from cafeterias districtwide, and an investigation has begun to determine more about these claims.
Dallas ISD continues to navigate the nationwide supply-chain shortage. Since the start of the pandemic, we, along with many other large districts, have relied heavily on prepackaged meals to provide uninterrupted meal service. We are working to fully transition back to offering a more robust hot food menu as we begin to stockpile inventory.
Understandably, this is not an ideal situation to have to work through, and we appreciate the community’s patience in our efforts to improve.