A Cracker Barrel restaurant reportedly refused to serve a group of students with disabilities who were on a field trip from a Maryland public school district.
On December 3, a group of 11 Charles County Public Schools students and seven staff members visited a Cracker Barrel facility in Waldorf, Maryland, as part of a community-based instruction program to teach functional skills to students with disabilities. visited. Real world setting.
However, the restaurant refused to serve the students and asked that Cracker Barrel be removed from the school's list of CBI locations. According to the letter Students were allowed to order takeout, the letter said, written by Charles County Public Schools Superintendent Maria Navarro on Dec. 5.
“Our students and staff are our top priority and we are disappointed to learn of the alleged treatment they received while participating in an activity aimed at educating students using real-world applications. ” Navarro wrote. “No one should have to experience the alleged treatment of CCPS students and staff at Cracker Barrel.”
CCPS said school officials informed the restaurant of the size of the party before the trip, but Cracker Barrel officials told the school that reservations were not required.
“It is unacceptable to us that we let this group of students and teachers down during their recent visit and we sincerely apologize,” Cracker Barrel said in a statement.
The Biscuits & Gravy chain said the “failure” was “unrelated to the student's ability”.
The Cracker Barrel store had “unforeseen staffing issues” and closed a portion of its second dining room, making it unable to accommodate a party of 18 people, the company said.
“The failure to follow certain operating protocols combined with a lack of communication on our part led to misunderstandings and misunderstandings,” Cracker Barrel said in a statement.
Shared by parents in 1 school district Email I received from my son's teacher About what happened on Facebook.
In an email, the teacher said it was a “very bad experience” and that the staff were rude to school staff and ignored students. The Cracker Barrel store refused to serve the group, even if the group was separated into smaller groups at separate tables, the teacher wrote.
Both the manager on duty and the general manager were “extremely rude,” the teacher said. The teacher said the general manager did not want to deal with “this type of group” and asked her to be taken off her list for future trips.
The company said it is learning from this experience and working with schools and communities to make future improvements. Navarro acknowledged that school district administrators have said the companies are willing to work with the district.
The superintendent said several other restaurants and businesses quickly contacted them to offer the location as a location for future CBI trips.
