Parents are furious after school officials in Maryland informed them that their special education students were denied service by a Cracker Barrel restaurant during an educational outing.
The outing was a part of community-based instruction programs that serve students with autism and significant cognitive disabilities at the Charles County Public Schools District’s Dr. James Craik Elementary School.
Though Cracker Barrel issued an apology in a statement, parents have 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-based instruction outing, previously told USA TODAY. “I’ve spent more time crying over her and praying she never has to experience 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 Charles County Public Schools District were “refused 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 notified the Waldorf Cracker Barrel of the group’s size and purpose of its visit, but they were told reservations were unnecessary.
Students in the school district’s ACHIEVE and SOAR programs attend community-based instruction outings once a month between November and May that allow students to perform practical skills and socialize with the public.
Charles County Public Schoo… by greta.cross.photo
The group did not dine in as the restaurant’s general manager told the group that he restaurant “cannot accommodate to your group” and that the restaurant should be removed from the approved list of restaurants for community-based instruction, Charles County Public Schools special education teacher Katie Schneider told parents in an email.
The group placed a to-go order but Schneider said in her email to parents that the students were treated rudely by staff while waiting for the order.
“Refusing to serve them, (staff) did not even ask if our students wanted a drink or anything. Our students were so well behaved and sat at the tables patiently, which you know can be hard, waiting for their food and drinks to-go,” Schneider wrote.
After about an hour of waiting, Schneider said the students were moved to wait outside on the school bus then ate lunch at the elementary school.
In the email Schneider notes that the group was willing to split into different tables and that they witnessed other parties be seated and leave in the time it took them to receive their food.
A portion of an email sent by Charles County Public Schools special education teacher Katie Schneider 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 handling the group’s request.
“At Cracker Barrel, we strive to create a welcoming environment for all our guests, and we understand that a recent visit by this group to our Waldorf location fell short of those expectations,” Cracker Barrel said in the statement. “We take this matter seriously and are working directly with the group’s leadership to better understand what happened, extend our apologies and make things right.”
Protest planned at Cracker Barrel
A protest, organized by Reed, is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Waldorf Cracker Barrel.
Forty-five people have responded on 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, it doesn’t make them less than anyone else.
“I’ve battled wanting to protect (and) shield her from the world but not forgetting why we’re doing this,” Reed said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protest set after Cracker Barrel ‘refused service’ to special ed. students
