Cirrus Academy accused of unsafe food service, but school passes its inspections

Allegations of unsanitary conditions and improper food handling at a Macon charter school circulated widely on social media this week, prompting a health department investigation at the facility Wednesday after an anonymous report was filed.

The Cirrus Academy Charter School has strongly denied the accusations, calling them “categorically untrue.” The controversy sparked after a social media post, separate from the anonymous complaint, accused the charter of numerous health code violations, including serving expired food, ignoring pest infestations and forcing employees to work while sick or injured without basic sanitation.

Tara Willis, a former chef for the academy through the food vendor Nourish Food Service LLC, made a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, stating, “Children—most of them Black and from underserved communities — are being fed food that would never be allowed in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods.”

Willis’ post included multiple photos, such as what appeared to be rodent traps containing dead animals, spoiled food, and text messages allegedly exchanged between workers referencing skin reactions to water exposure. It was unclear what was wrong with the water based on the messages.

It was also not clear when or where the photos were taken or who took them, although Willis said a former food service supervisor who quit Monday provided her with the pictures.

Willis also alleged she was denied unemployment benefits and had not been fully paid after being fired. She said she had documentation, including photos of unclean food stations, text messages about a lack of proper cleaning supplies, and statements from others who allegedly witnessed similar conditions.

In her post, Willis urged others to share the information, describing the situation as “racial negligence” because local authorities have allegedly remained silent and failed to conduct an investigation, putting lives at risk.

Willis said she was responsible for cleaning, sanitizing and preparing food for 500 to 600 people daily at the school. Willis alleged several problems during her employment, including late food deliveries that affected meal preparation and budgeting issues.

Willis said she hopes speaking out will lead to improvements in food service and sanitation practices to ensure student safety and well-being.

“I wasn’t trying to tear anyone or any school system down,” Willis told The Telegraph, noting that her children were enrolled at Cirrus Academy before she withdrew them after this incident. “As a parent, I do want to see change. We should have better food options and a clean place to eat for our kids, not just feed them anything and expect them to learn correctly. We want things to get better, but we can’t do that until people take accountability.”

Willis believes she was fired in retaliation for raising concerns about “violations of health code, labor laws and basic human decency” while being ignored by school administrators. She was terminated Aug. 1, according to emails provided by Willis.

An operations director for Nourish Food Service LLC notified Willis in an email that her employment with the charter’s food vendor was terminated effective immediately due to violations of company policy, including failure to adhere to established workplace rules, unprofessional conduct toward staff and management and more, according to the emails.

Cirrus Academy denies the claims

While not naming Willis or confirming they were talking about her claims, Cirrus Academy responded to food service allegations in a statement posted to its Facebook page Tuesday evening, calling the complaints “categorically untrue.”

“Cirrus Academy Charter School passed its most recent Bibb County Department of Health inspection with a 100% score, confirming that our facilities and food services meet the highest standards of health and safety,” the school said hours after Willis made her post.

The school clarified that an unnamed individual was not an employee of Cirrus Academy, but rather of a food vendor serving the school.

“The individual responsible for spreading these false allegations is a former employee of our food vendor and has never been an employee of Cirrus Academy,” the statement read. “This deliberate attempt to misrepresent our school and damage our reputation is both grossly misleading and deeply concerning.”

The school told The Telegraph that Willis worked on-site from July 22 to Aug. 1. Willis said she worked at the school before July 22 and provided text messages with management from before that date.

“Prior to Ms. Willis’ allegations, we had not received formal complaints regarding food quality, cleanliness, or worker health conditions,” the school said in a statement. “We maintain routine oversight and vendor supervision, and we promptly follow up on any concerns to ensure a safe, compliant meal program.”

Cirrus Academy said it is “considering pursuing all available legal remedies, including defamation claims against individuals who spread false statements about our school.” The school added that its legal team is reviewing the allegations and findings.

“No formal legal action has been initiated at this time. Our focus remains on verifying facts, maintaining a safe meal program and communicating clearly with families and staff,” the school said.

Health department reviews the school

Since Jan. 1, 2020, the Macon-Bibb County Health Department has received just two complaints regarding Cirrus Academy, one on Aug. 20 and a second submitted anonymously by a citizen on Sept. 10 after seeing the social media posts, according to Michael Hokanson, public information officer for the North Central Health District.

Due to the complaint submitted Wednesday, the Macon-Bibb Department of Health team visited Cirrus Academy.

Hokanson provided inspection notes to The Telegraph from the nearly one-hour visit, during which all areas of food service operation and storage were inspected.

According to the records, the department did not observe any pest activity or evidence of mice, but found about three dead roaches in an office side storage area containing a refrigeration unit and milk chest, as well as two small bugs on a trap pad. No rodent droppings were observed.

Inspectors also noted the facility was in need of floor cleaning to address debris and sticky residue, dust in storage and refrigeration areas and slight cleaning around sink and ice machine baseboards.

The health department determined through the investigation that the complaint couldn’t be corroborated.

Looking into these alleged issues was further complicated by the fact that Cirrus Academy has recently changed its food vendor. Cirrus Academy’s four-year contract with its old vendor, MAC Food Service, ended before the school established Nourish Food Service LLC as its new partner in July 2025, officials said. The reason for the vendor change was not disclosed.

The first complaint, filed on Aug. 20 against former food supplier MAC Food Service, said students weren’t receiving proper meals, employees were not washing their hands or using gloves during meal shifts, and food wells were not cleaned properly, according to health department records.

An inspection of the claim revealed that a new company, Nourish Food Service LLC, had taken over food operations for the school. Because of the switch, the food service permit on file for Cirrus Academy was voided, which constituted a violation.

“During the period between Nourish Food Services replacing MAC Food Service and the issuing of a permit from Macon-Bibb Environmental Health to Nourish, they were in violation,” Hokanson said. “Whenever there are violations, our team works with the food service to correct the issues as soon as possible so they can be in full compliance.”

A permitting inspection on Aug. 29 resulted in a perfect score of 100.

Health inspectors also noted that school was not in session during the visit and that some aspects of the Aug. 20 complaint did not appear valid, as kitchen equipment had not changed.

The anonymous complaint filed Sept. 10 was nearly identical to the initial Aug. 20 complaint, but listed the charter’s current food vendor as responsible.

Cirrus Academy has history of good food inspection scores

Four inspections prior to the August 29 inspection, each done while MAC Food Service was the provider for the school, all yielded good results, according to records. Cirrus Academy scored a 99 on Sept. 7, 2023, a 100 on May 10, 2024, a 100 on Aug. 23, 2024, and a 100 on April 14, 2025 — showing that the school has a record of maintaining top food inspection scores for two consecutive years.

Cirrus Academy students and staff returned to school for the 2025-26 academic year on July 30.

The school said it is currently conducting an internal review and coordinating closely with its food vendor as it relates to the unsanitary allegations.

“We will continue to cooperate with any external agency and will share verified findings with our community to ensure full transparency,” the school said.

Cirrus Academy said Wednesday’s health inspection revealed only a few minor issues, all of which are being addressed immediately.

“Our operations and nutrition team is already implementing the recommended corrections to ensure we maintain the safe, healthy environment our scholars and staff deserve,” the charter said Thursday morning.

State officials made aware

Willis said she filed complaints with the Georgia Department of Public Health, the state Charter Schools Commission of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education.

Cirrus Academy is a state charter governed by the charter schools commission. The agency said it received complaints on Sept. 9 regarding the academy’s food service operations.

Erica Acha-Morfaw, communications specialist for the charter schools commission, said that the agency does not oversee vendor selection or operational management at state charters, as those decisions are handled by the charters’ governing boards. She added that local health departments are responsible for ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements in school food preparation areas. Acha-Morfaw said state charter schools are required to report to the agency any circumstances that put the health, safety or welfare of students, staff, volunteers or visitors at risk.

“The SCSC has not received a report about health or safety violations from Cirrus Academy,” Acha-Morfaw said in an email, adding that the agency is not aware of or involved in any current investigation of the charter.

The Georgia Department of Education also said it has been made aware of the social media posting related to Cirrus Academy and referred all questions to the SCSC.

“Broadly, our school nutrition team has been in contact with school nutrition leadership at the school and is monitoring the situation,” said Meghan Frick, chief communications officer for the state department of education.