Over the holiday break, The Journal News published the cafeteria inspection reports for all six school districts in Putnam County and seven districts in northern Westchester.

As my colleague Barbara Nackman wrote in a story published Saturday (Jan. 3), six school districts in Putnam County netted 64 food safety and health violations in 2006, 2007 and the first half of 2008, with nine of those considered major or “red” infractions. You can find her story here: Few infractions found at Putnam school cafeteria.

Journal News reporter Ernie Garcia also reported on cafeteria inspections in Hendrick Hudson, Katonah-Lewisboro, Lakeland, North Salem, Peekskill, Somers and Yorktown. Garcia found that the cafeterias in those districts amassed more than 350 health violations in 2007 and 2006, with virtually all of the Katonah-Lewisboro school district’s kitchens receiving “unacceptable” designations from the county in 2007.

The food-safety violations in the districts ranged from employees seen not washing their hands at John Jay Middle School in Cross River and rodent droppings on breadsticks at Peekskill Middle School to dirty surfaces and equipment at most of the Lakeland Central School District’s kitchens. His story is here: Northern Westchester public school kitchens amass health violations.

To read all of the cafeteria inspection reports for 39 school districts in Westchester and six in Putnam, click here: Cafeteria inspection reports.