St. Benilde School Cafeteria

St. Benilde School Cafeteria

A Statement from Reverend Father Robert T. Cooper
Pastor of St. Benilde Catholic Church and School

This morning, June 14, 2016, the Times-Picayune/NOLA.com released a slideshow entitled The 11 School Cafeterias with the Most Critical Health Violations. St. Benilde School was listed amongst the schools in the article. Please be assured that as pastor, I take the health and welfare of our students very seriously. Each day, I collaborate with the administration and faculty to ensure that we are providing a holy, healthy, and happy environment for our little ones to be formed in the values of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church.

The majority of the health violations cited in the article where due to the construction and installation of our new cook-in kitchen which took place in the summer of 2015. It is also to be noted that many of the violations were duplicates as changes were being made to ensure the new facility fulfilled the requirements of the Health Department. It is my understanding after speaking with our principal and archdiocesan Food and Nutrition Service staff, which operates the cafeteria, that the violations have been addressed and any issues rectified as the new kitchen was completed.

Our school continues to work collaboratively with Food and Nutrition Services of the Archdiocese of New Orleans to ensure that we are providing the best possible services to our students. I am grateful to Food and Nutrition Services for installing and operating our school cafeteria, and I am confident that they are providing a safe and healthy lunch program for our children.