Parents are outraged after school officials in Maryland told them their special education students were denied access to a Cracker Barrel restaurant during an educational outing.
The outing was part of community-based instructional programs for students with autism and severe cognitive disabilities at Dr. James Craik Elementary School of the Charles County Public Schools District.
Although Cracker Barrel apologized in a statement, parents previously told USA TODAY that they “saw red” after being informed of the incident, with one parent organizing a protest at the location.
“I can't put into words how I felt: anger, sadness and worry,” Dustin Reed, whose 7-year-old daughter Madelynn attended the community instruction outing, previously told USA TODAY. “I spent more time crying for her and praying she never has to go through this again.”
Here's what we know.
Parents say Cracker Barrel refused to serve special education students
On Tuesday, a group of 11 students and seven staff members from the Charles County Public Schools District were “denied service” at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland, Superintendent Maria Navarro said in a statement.
In her statement, Navarro said Charles County Public Schools staff informed the Waldorf Cracker Barrel of the size of the group and the purpose of the visit, but were told reservations were not necessary.
Students in the school district's ACHIEVE and SOAR programs attend community-based instructional outings once a month between November and May, where students can practice hands-on skills and socialize with the public.
Charles County Public School… by greta.cross.photo
The group did not dine because the restaurant's general manager told the group that the restaurant “is not appropriate for your group” and that the restaurant should be removed from the Approved List of Community-Based Education Restaurants, Charles County Public Schools Special Education Teacher Katie Schneider told parents in an email.
The group placed a pick-up order, but Schneider said in her email to parents that students were treated rudely by staff while they waited for the order.
“The staff refused to serve them and didn't even ask if our students wanted a drink or anything. Our students were so well behaved and sat patiently at the tables, which can be difficult, waiting for their food and drinks. go,” Schneider wrote.
After about an hour of waiting, Schneider said the students had to wait outside for the school bus and then went to the elementary school for lunch.
In the email, Schneider notes that the group was prepared to split into different tables and that they witnessed other parties seated and leaving within the time it took to receive their food.
Part of an email Charles County Public Schools special education teacher Katie Schneider sent to parents on Dec. 3, 2024. The email outlines how special education students and staff were treated at the Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland during a school outing.
Cracker Barrel said in a statement previously provided to USA TODAY that a “staffing challenge” led to the closure of the restaurant's second dining room and caused “confusion” in its handling of the group's request.
“At Cracker Barrel, we strive to create a welcoming environment for all of our guests, and we understand that a recent visit by this group to our Waldorf location did not meet those expectations,” Cracker Barrel said in the statement. “We are taking this matter seriously and are working directly with the group's leadership to better understand what happened, apologize and make things right.”
Protest planned at Cracker Barrel
A protest organized by Reed is planned for Sunday, December 15, at the Waldorf Cracker Barrel.
Forty-five people responded to the protest's Facebook page, titled #CanWeEatNow, as of Sunday.
Reed said he hopes the protest sheds light on the fact that just because some children have different abilities doesn't make them less than anyone else.
“I fought to protect her (and) protect her from the world, but not to forget why we do this,” Reed said.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Protest that unfolded after Cracker Barrel 'refused service' to a special edition. students
