The cafeteria at John Swett Elementary School, located at 4995 Alhambra Valley Rd. in Martinez, was closed on Wednesday after inspectors from the Contra Costa County Health Department say they found the following.
- Several rodent droppings in the following locations:
– On floor in kitchen (under equipment, storage shelves, sinks).
– On floor in both dry storage rooms.
– On bottom shelf in large dry storage room.
– On floor and bottom shelves of dishwash room. - No food preparation sink at facility. Per employee, they clean and sanitize two-comp sink in the morning to wash vegetables and then it is used to wash utensils.
The cafeteria was last serviced by a licensed pest control company on Oct.30.
Please click on the ‘Dirty Dining‘ link to view all the most recent restaurant closures in Contra Costa County.
My question is: are the rodent droppings from before the pest control came in?If so, why weren’t the dropping cleaned up. If not, I would be looking for another pest control company.
From principal:
November 7th, 2019
Hello JSE Families, I wanted to update you on a situation that we are currently experiencing with our kitchen facility.
With JSE being located in such a beautiful location next to Mt. Wanda and backing up to a creek area, it also sometimes brings the local wildlife around campus. Yesterday we had a visit from the Contra Costa Health Services and they found some rodent droppings in areas behind refrigerators and along the wall under shelving. There were no dropping by any food since food is stored in plastic bins. Currently we have a professional cleaning company sanitizing the kitchen area all day today, so the kitchen will have to remain closed so the issue can be corrected. Students are still safe and cleared to eat in the cafeteria and will be served pre-packed lunch and snack items that are being brought in from off site.
This school year we have been proactively dealing with the rodent problem by hiring a professional company who inspects weekly, installing new door sweeps and assigning extra cleaning time to the kitchen area. We will continue to closely monitor to ensure your child’s meals are always of the highest quality.
We fully anticipate the kitchen to be open tomorrow.
Thank you
Mike Cannon
Principal – John Swett Elementary
November 8th, 2019
Dear John Swett Families,
I wanted to let everyone know that the JSE kitchen is open and fully operational today. The Contra Costa Health Services cleared us and we will be cooking for students.
Sincerely
Mike Cannon
Principal – John Swett Elementary
Fire the pest control company and find another contractor.
Thank you Principal Mike Cannon for the quick response on the matter.
Well since it is located in a very country setting with tons of trees and greenery it isn’t surprising. Half the people reading this probably have them too and may or may not even know it. I love that elementary school and I’m sure they will do what needs to be done.