According to school officials, a group of disabled children went to a Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland, and were turned away. This caused a stir in the community and prompted a planned protest.
In a statement released Thursday, Maria V. Navarrow, the superintendent of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS), said that two days prior, seven employees and eleven students with disabilities had visited the eatery. The field trip was a component of a community-based learning program designed to improve life skills, such as social interaction in public places like restaurants and retail stores.
According to Navarro, personnel informed the Cracker Barrel location of the group’s plans, including the visit’s goal and headcount, before the visit. CCPS claims that they were informed that a reservation was not required.
The party was able to order takeout, but when the students and staff arrived, they were refused service and told to remove the restaurant from their CBI list, according to Navarro.
More information was provided in a Facebook post by Stacey Campbell, a parent of one of the students involved, who received an email from a CCPS employee.
The general manager read a section of the letter explaining that the group was sat in a closed space in the back of the restaurant while their takeaway order was being filled, and I asked to speak with the manager on duty while I waited.
The CCPS employee claimed that the staff was extremely impolite and disregarded every student. After speaking with a general manager, they were informed that the restaurant does not serve this kind of crowd.
According to Navarro, faculty members spoke with a Cracker Barrel district manager following the incident in order to get more details and voice concerns with the way the students were treated there. She went on to say that the management expressed their willingness to collaborate with CCPS in order to improve.
Navarro said that other businesses and eateries have contacted her to offer their locations for next CCPS student field excursions, saying that no one should have to endure the alleged abuse of CCPS students and employees at Cracker Barrel.
We anticipate speaking with Cracker Barrel. The letter was concluded by Navarro.
Dustin Reed, a parent of CCPS, told Washington’s NBC affiliate WRC-TV on Friday, “It broke my heart.” Since the event, Reed and Johnna Penrod have been providing comfort to their nonverbal 7-year-old daughter.
Reed claimed that they were pushed aside and just ignored. Their sole desire was to enter, eat, enjoy themselves, and gain knowledge from their experience.
“It doesn’t mean that they’re less than us just because they have different abilities,” Penrod told WRC-TV. They should be cherished and cared for, and they should be treated like everyone else. They are deserving of encouragement.
Cracker Barrel expressed regret for letting the pupils down.
According to a Cracker Barrel spokesperson who spoke to TODAY.com, the group of 18 was denied service because of staffing concerns and a partially shuttered second dining room. “Our mistakes last week were regrettable, but they had nothing to do with the students’ abilities.”
The representative went on to say that misunderstandings and misperceptions resulted from our poor communication and disregard for basic operational norms. Although they did not elaborate, they stated that they are collaborating with the community to improve and learn.
Conversely, Reed expressed his belief that the civil rights of children were flagrantly neglected.
The group went to a dollar store before Cracker Barrel that day without any problems, according to Pernod, and their daughter has loved trips to many other places, including fast-food restaurants.
A district manager or someone from their human resources department cannot resolve this issue with words alone. “It’s done,” Pernod told TODAY.com. I apologize for stepping on your toe in the movie theater. I don’t think this is the kind of thing you can just brush under the rug and say “I’m sorry.”
As of this writing, 75 individuals have expressed interest in joining Reed’s planned protest of the Cracker Barrel, the scene of the Sunday incident.
Supportive responses, indignation, and pledges to never return to Cracker Barrel abound on the event’s discussion board and in additional posts by Reed.
According to the Cracker Barrel representative, this group of teachers and students was, is, and always will be invited to join us for dinner. We look forward to regaining their confidence and trust, and we will put things right.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!