Disabled students denied service at Charles Co. restaurant; Cracker Barrel wants to ‘make things right’

By Kate Ryan

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    WALDORF, Maryland (WTOP) — It was supposed to be a positive educational exercise for Charles County students with intellectual and developmental disabilities: An outing at a local store capped with a meal at a nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Instead, as Charles County Public Schools Superintendent Maria Navarro wrote in a letter to parents, a group of 11 students with disabilities and seven staff members were “refused service” at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Waldorf, Maryland, on Tuesday.

Kisa Lee is the mother of an 8-year-old boy who has autism and is in the second grade at Dr. James Craik Elementary School’s “SOAR” program in Pomfret.

She told WTOP she got an email from one of the teachers who accompanied the group of children to the Cracker Barrel describing “rude” treatment by management and staff at the restaurant, and that the manager on duty told the group that they don’t accommodate “this type of group.”

Stressing that she was not present for the field trip, referred to as “community-based instruction,” Lee said that the teacher described the host at the Cracker Barrel as “immediately rude” about the size of the party.

In Navarro’s letter home to parents, the superintendent stated that school officials “notified the establishment of the planned visit, including how many were in the party” and that school staff “was reportedly told by restaurant staff that no reservations were necessary.”

Lee said the teachers accompanying the students offered to split into smaller groups, and that after some back and forth, the group was seated in a closed section to wait.

“They watched groups come in and leave while they were there,” Lee told WTOP.

In the end, the teachers ordered food to takeaway and had the children wait to eat on the bus.

Navarro wrote in her letter to parents that school staff was told by the restaurant the day of the visit that the business should be taken off a list of businesses that allow for the community-based instruction trips. Lee explained the trips involve taking students out to public spaces to help them become more comfortable with everyday social situations and activities.

Lee called the account of the situation “heartbreaking,” and said as the mother of an autistic child whose coping behaviors can draw stares, “I’ve just come to accept the stares and come to accept the stress that goes with taking a child with autism and sensitivities and ADHD out in public.”

She said it was disheartening to hear that the group was denied a positive experience.

Lee’s son is considered nonverbal, she said, but he was excited about the planned trip to Cracker Barrel, even practicing saying his favorite food, “fries.”

Lee said the school does the “community-based instruction” outings once a month: “They had this trip to McDonalds, and that went great.”

In a statement to WTOP, Cracker Barrel said it strives to welcome all guests and understands that this incident “fell short of those expectations.”

“A staffing challenge that day led to the closure of part of our second dining room, creating confusion that impacted the group’s experience. 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,” they wrote.

The Waldorf regional manager told WTOP he could not comment on the incident.

Navarro said in her letter that the “alleged treatment” was something “no one should experience.”

“It is encouraging to learn that the district manager said the business would be willing to work with CCPS to do better,” she added.

Navarro added that “other retailers and restaurants have reached out to offer their locations as CBI sites, with open invitations for CCPS students.” She ended her letter saying, “We look forward to hearing from Cracker Barrel.”

Lee said when people see parents with children who have disabilities struggling, and offer empathy, “It literally almost brings me to tears … it’s so helpful and makes all the difference.”

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