Meat may not be the only mystery in HISD kitchens

Next time you're out looking for a quick lunch, we recommend you don't swing by your local HISD school cafeteria: A couple of district food-service employees tell KHOU that food might not be all that safe in schools. We always thought there was something odd about Salisbury steak.

According to Holly Cortes, a supervisor for Aramark, school kitchens were having trouble keeping food at safe temperatures — 15 or 20 degrees below the temperature necessary to prevent food poisoning. So Marissa Holland, a food quality inspector for HISD, said the district went to a four-hour rule, which refers to the amount of time hot food can safely sit out. That, of course, means no one has to keep track of the temperature. "If they can't pass muster, you lower the bar?" Channel 11 asked. "That's it. That's absolutely right," Holland said.

KHOU found a school district memo saying the change was put in place "in an effort to minimize Houston Health Department violations." With schools using the four-hour rule, city inspectors can't write up schools for temperature violations, even when they find them — they can only cite a kitchen for breaking the four-hour rule. "[The four-hour rule] is not a good solution, but unfortunately I cannot speak for what they decide," city health department supervisor Chirag Bhatt said.

Aramark and HISD said the four-hour rule change is appropriate, and school district spokesman Terry Abbott said he didn't think the district's approach puts any children at risk.