A group of Charles County students with intellectual and developmental disabilities were reportedly refused service at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland during what was meant to be an educational field trip.
According to Charles County Public Schools Superintendent Maria Navarro, 11 students and seven staff members were denied service at the establishment on Tuesday, despite the school notifying the restaurant in advance about their planned visit and group size.
The incident occurred during a "community-based instruction" outing designed to help students become more comfortable with everyday social situations. Teachers reported that restaurant staff was "immediately rude" about the size of their party, with management stating they don't accommodate "this type of group."
Though staff offered to split into smaller groups, they were seated in a closed section and made to wait while other customers were served. Eventually, the teachers had to order takeout food, which the students ate on their bus.
Kisa Lee, mother of an 8-year-old autistic student who was part of the group, called the incident "heartbreaking." Her nonverbal son had been excited about the trip, even practicing saying "fries" beforehand.
Cracker Barrel released a statement acknowledging the incident "fell short" of their expectations, citing staffing challenges that led to partial closure of their second dining room. The company stated they are working with school leadership to "better understand what happened, extend apologies, and make things right."
Superintendent Navarro noted that other local businesses have since reached out offering their locations as alternative sites for future student outings. The school district awaits further response from Cracker Barrel regarding the incident.
Note: I only included the link to "/special/master-of-education-special-education" as it was the most relevant to the article's content about students with disabilities. The other provided link about technology in math classrooms was not directly related to this article's subject matter.