'It could have been my son': Parents to protest over students' treatment at Maryland Cracker Barrel
"It's helpful, seeing other people supporting and wanting to be a part of this," protest organizer and parent Dustin Reed said.
- School officials and parents say a group of students and teachers, on a special education field trip, were denied dine-in service at the Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland on Dec. 3.
- Parent Dustin Reed organized a protest to be held at the restaurant on Sunday afternoon.
- More than 200 Facebook users have expressed interest in attending the protest.
Family members and protesters are set to gather Sunday afternoon at a Cracker Barrel in Maryland, where a group of special education students received what the restaurant later called "unacceptable" service earlier this month.
The protest was organized by Dustin Reed, father of 7-year-old Madelynn. She was one of 11 special needs students who were turned away from dine-in service at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland during a field trip on Dec. 3, parents and school officials say. The protest is set to be held at the restaurant from 1-5 p.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 15.
More than 200 users have expressed interest in attending the protest on Facebook, while countless users have commented support for the students, parents and teachers affected. Users who report being anywhere from Chicago to Brazil have left a comment on the event.
"It's helpful, seeing other people supporting and wanting to be a part of this," Reed told Paste BN on Wednesday. "But it's also sad at the same moment because reading and hearing all of these people's stories and hearing about what really goes on and a lot of it, it doesn't get talked about because there's not enough media coverage or there's not enough people willing to want to stand up for whoever needs a voice."
Elise Horne, co-founder of the Charles County Autism & Developmental Disabilities Parent Support Group, told Paste BN on Thursday that she plans to attend the Sunday protest. Horne has a 9-year-old, nonverbal autistic son who also attends the Charles County Public Schools District. Though he wasn't on the field trip to Cracker Barrel, he also regularly participates in community-based instruction outings.
"It is very important to me that the orgs in my community understand and they get the message that it is not okay to discriminate against my son's community," Horne said. "I really want to go so I can help send that message and I feel like there is a strength in numbers and the more of us that show up, the louder our voices will be. I am standing in solidarity of these parents because it could have been my son."
What happened?
Last Tuesday, a group of 11 students and seven staff members from the Charles County Public Schools District visited the Waldorf Cracker Barrel. The outing was a part of community-based instruction, which allows students in special education programs to practice practical skills and socialize in public.
Charles County Public Schools District special education teacher Katie Schneider informed parents in an email that the group was denied service. Schneider said the group was told that the restaurant couldn't accommodate them and they were asked to remove the location from an approved list of restaurants for such field trips.
The restaurant permitted students and staff to place a to-go order, Schneider said in her email. After about an hour of waiting for the carryout meals, the students moved outside to the school bus to wait and ultimately ate their lunch back at the elementary school, Schneider said.
The students attend Dr. James Craik Elementary School and belong to the district's ACHIEVE program, for students with "significant cognitive disabilities" and SOAR program, for students with autism.
Following last week's events, three employees at the Waldorf Cracker Barrel were let go, a Cracker Barrel statement shared with Paste BN said. An internal investigation with guest and employee interviews was also opened.
"We strive to create a welcoming environment and great experience for guests of all abilities, and we have a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination," the statement said. "We did not refuse service to this student group, but operational breakdowns caused by staffing shortages and poor communication on our part led us to fall well short of our service standards that day. This is unacceptable."
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.