JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax Investigates uncovers relentless pest problems for more than three months in Duval County Public Schools.
It’s after our initial investigation revealed rats and roach issues in school cafeterias.
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We found some schools failed their reinspection reports, again, after more critters were found in the kitchen.
Action News Jax’s Chandler Morgan pulled the pest control contracts for DCPS. Those contracts revealed it wasn’t until after our initial investigation aired that DCPS shelled out more money to try and fix these pest problems at certain schools.
SEE THE PEST CONTROL CONTRACTS, INSPECTION REPORTS BELOW:
Our initial investigation uncovered issues at schools like Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School and Mandarin Oaks Elementary School.
Some parents said they wanted to keep their kids out of school after we showed them those initial failed inspection reports, citing things like rat poop and damage in the cafeteria.
We kept pressing the district for answers and leaders eventually owned up to the initial problems we highlighted, saying they’re committed to fixing the issues in school cafeterias. That was September 24.
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DCPS said the schools with failed cafeteria scores would be getting reinspected and they did.
But one failed again, on September 25, just one day after leaders said they’d work to fix it.
Since early July, Matthew W. Gilbert Middle failed its inspection five times, all but one of the failures related to pests.
The day Morgan requested to see Matthew W. Gilbert Middle’s reinspection report is the same day the school failed, again.
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After repeated requests, DCPS gave us the report two weeks later.
The reinspection report from September 25 showed the district did fix the pest issues by that point, but it failed inspection on that day because the district didn’t pay the inspection fee beforehand -- for an inspection they said they knew was on the books.
The cafeteria finally passed reinspection on its sixth try.
Matthew W. Gilbert Middle isn’t the only school with persistent pest issues.
Mandarin Oaks Elementary School failed its inspections at least six times since the start of July.
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Two different pest control companies were listed as servicing this school during that time.
In September, failed inspection reports said staff removed at least seven rats in the kitchen, several dead rats in traps, and they reported rats getting into food and goods.
Those inspection reports say the food service manager repeatedly asked for more resources from pest control so they could get the problem under control.
Mandarin Oaks Elementary finally passed its cafeteria reinspection on its seventh try on September 29.
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We pulled the contracts DCPS has with companies for pest control. It wasn’t until after our initial investigation aired that DCPS made a purchase order on September 22 for additional rat and pest services involving these two schools.
School started in mid-August and we asked DCPS what it were doing for meals for students at these schools. The district said these school cafeterias stayed open serving meals to kids in cafeterias while they had failing inspection scores as they were trying to fix the pest problems.
DCPS said it had enhanced daily oversight when prepping food and it did have the option to make meals off site in kitchens with passing scores, but DCPS claims it didn’t choose to do that in these cases.
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DCPS sent Action News Jax the following answers to our questions:
1) Considering multiple schools failed their cafeteria (re)inspections, were those cafeterias shutdown for operation subsequently while carrying an unsatisfactory score?
No, all cafeterias remained open during remediation. Our protocol, in alignment with Duval County Health Department guidelines, prioritizes immediate remediation and continued safe operations over closures unless there is an imminent public health hazard requiring emergency action. Both schools passed reinspection’s by early October 2025.
2) How and in what specific ways does the district ensure it can still provide food for students at such schools with failed ongoing cafeteria inspections during that time, to ensure there isn’t a lapse for students being fed or offered options for food prepared in a safe environment? (i.e.. for example, preparing food in a kitchen off site and transporting it to a school with failing cafeteria inspection)?
Student nutrition is a top priority, and we have robust contingency plans to guarantee that all students receive safe, nutritious meals without interruption, even during remediation periods. Specific measures included:
- Enhanced Daily Oversight: Food service staff conducted daily inspections (Monday–Friday) of preparation areas, ensuring all food was stored in sealed, pest-proof containers and that no infested zones were used for handling or serving.
- Immediate Remediation: Any evidence of pests triggered instant cleanup, deep sanitation of surfaces, and temporary relocation of food prep to unaffected areas within the cafeteria (e.g., using isolated counters or equipment).
- Backup Preparation Options: If on-site conditions warranted (though not required in these cases), meals could be prepared at a neighboring compliant school kitchen or our central production facility and transported in temperature-controlled vehicles to maintain USDA safety standards.
- Vendor Accountability: Our contract requires the food service provider to report issues immediately and adhere to zero-tolerance sanitation rules, with district audits ensuring compliance.
These steps ensured no student went without a safe meal option during the brief remediation window. All affected schools passed reinspection and resumed standard operations by early October 2025, with no reported lapses in service.
DCPS serves over 130,000 meals daily district-wide, and our food service program is audited regularly by state and federal authorities to uphold the highest safety standards
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