JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Rats, roaches, and reinspection are common themes we found for Duval County Public Schools after Action News Jax requested the district’s most recent health inspection reports for school cafeterias.
Action News Jax Investigates dug through the most recent health inspection reports for the cafeterias at the nearly 200 Duval County Public Schools.
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At least 24 of the school cafeterias failed their inspections.
Many parents we spoke to told us they had concerns about sending their child to school after learning about the failed health inspections.
Action News Jax requested reports from both DCPS and the Duval County Health Department.
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Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School, near downtown Jacksonville listed a failed health inspection for violations in its school cafeteria.
Over the summer, we found out the school’s cafeteria failed its inspection for a violation involving rodents in the kitchen.
The violation listed a “heavy presence of rodents in the kitchen observed; rodent droppings, gnawed doors, and holes in the ceilings were observed.”
A parent at Matthew W. Gilbert Middle told us they were concerned to learn of the failed inspections.
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“The kids cant eat like that, its very unhealthy, they could be eating rat droppings, its nasty,” the parent said.
We showed several parents the inspection report for the middle school, and asked them how they feel about their children eating in that school cafeteria.
Another parent we spoke to told us that none of her children eat lunch at school and “they all come home hungry they all complain about the food.”
The failed health inspection report for Matthew W. Gilbert Middle also said the rodent infestation in the school’s cafeteria coincides with an infestation in the school.
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The failed inspection report for Matthew W. Gilbert Middle listed a target reinspection date for late July 2025.
DCPS did not send Action News Jax a re-inspection report for Matthew W. Gilbert Middle school to show that the school has been reinspected to ensure all facilities are in good standing; despite sending the reinspection reports for several other schools that had previously failed.
At least three other schools were slapped with rodent-related violations, including Sandalwood High School, Long Branch Elementary School and Mandarin Oaks Elementary School.
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On Sept. 24, Action News Jax received the following statement from Jim Cubert, DCPS Chief Officer of Operations:
“We take the health and safety of our students and staff seriously, and we acknowledge that some of our schools have experienced pest and facility-related issues that fell short of our standards. We own this, and we are actively working to make things right.
“Since July 1, 2025, 81 health inspections have been conducted across our schools. Of those, 27 required reinspection. As of September 16, only two schools have active pest-related concerns:
- Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School - In response, we initiated daily staff visits, exclusion work, and heavy trapping. A new pest control vendor has been brought in, and a reinspection is scheduled for September 25.
- Mandarin Oaks Elementary School –We’ve since implemented daily monitoring, external kitchen inspections, and increased trapping. Reinspection is scheduled for September 29.
“Additionally, Mandarin High School had an issue with hot water at a kitchen handwashing sink. Repairs have been completed, and we are awaiting reinspection to confirm compliance.
“To prevent new rodent infestations and eliminate current issues, the District has engaged a new vendor to seal exterior entry points and trim back trees, while working closely with our food service vendor to ensure pest concerns are reported and addressed promptly, reinforced by strict expectations around food storage, sanitation, and daily oversight. Additionally, DCPS is evaluating software tools to enhance the district’s ability to track inspection outcomes and respond to issues more effectively and proactively.
“We recognize the importance of maintaining safe, clean, and healthy environments in all our schools, and we remain fully committed to meeting that standard every day.”
You can find the health inspection reports that were listed as unsatisfactory and any follow up inspection reports we received below:
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