Maryland Cracker Barrel has 'rejected' special education students: school

A field trip for special education students to a Cracker Barrel in Maryland this week has sparked outcry from teachers and parents.

On Tuesday, a group of 11 students and seven employees from the Charles County Public Schools District in Maryland were “denied service” at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland, Superintendent Maria Navarro said in a statement. The trip was part of community-based instruction for students at Dr. James Craik Elementary School in the district. Classes allow students in special education programs to apply practical skills and socialize with the public.

Cracker Barrel’s general manager told teachers that the restaurant “cannot accommodate your group” and that the restaurant should be removed from the approved list of restaurants for community-based learning, Charles County Public Schools special education teacher Katie Schneider told parents in an email that was shared online.

Stacey Campbell told USA TODAY that her autistic, non-speaking 9-year-old son, who is named “JoJo,” attended the outing on Tuesday.

“I saw red,” Campbell said as she read Schneider’s email.

JoJo participates in Charles County Public Schools’ ACHIEVE, a regional program in Charles County that serves students from kindergarten through age 21 with “significant cognitive disabilities.” Students in the school district’s ACHIEVE and SOAR (Regional Program for Students with Autism) programs participate in community-based educational field trips once a month between November and May, Campbell said.

What happened at Cracker Barrel?

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 their visit, but were told reservations were unnecessary.

Although the group ultimately didn’t eat dinner, the restaurant allowed students and staff to place a takeout order, Schneider said in her email to parents.

“During this time, servers were blatantly rude to our staff and ignored all of our students,” Schneider continued in her email. “They refused to serve them and didn’t even ask if our students wanted a drink or anything else.” Our students were so well behaved and sat patiently at the tables, which as you know can be difficult while they waiting for their takeaway food and drinks.”

After waiting about an hour, the students were forced to wait outside on the school bus, Schneider said. They ate lunch again at the elementary school. When contacted Friday afternoon, Schneider did not immediately respond for comment about the experience.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Cracker Barrel said a “staffing challenge” resulted in a disruption to the group’s experience.

“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 these expectations,” the statement said. “A staffing challenge on the day resulted in the closure of part of our second dining room, causing confusion that impacted the group’s experience. “We are taking this matter seriously and are working directly with the group’s leadership to better understand what happened, apologize and say something.”

Parents organize protest at Cracker Barrel

In response to this week’s events, Dustin Reed, whose 7-year-old daughter Madelynn attended the community-based educational trip, organized a protest in front of the Waldorf Cracker Barrel on December 15th. Madelynn participates in the district’s SOAR program.

“I can’t put into words what I’m feeling — anger, sadness and worry,” Reed told USA TODAY when he learned what happened at the restaurant. “I fought against wanting to protect (and shield) them from the world, but not forgetting why we do this. I spent more time crying for her and praying that she never has to experience anything like this again.”

Reed said he hopes the protest sheds light on the fact that the fact that some children have different abilities does not make them less than anyone else.

Screenshots of Schneider’s email, which Campbell shared in a public Facebook group, have attracted widespread attention. The post had been shared nearly 300 times as of Friday afternoon. Campbell said she isn’t particularly present on social media but feels compelled to share her son’s experiences.

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