On Sunday afternoon, families and supporters will gather outside a Cracker Barrel in Maryland to protest what many consider the unfair treatment of a group of special education students at the restaurant.

The demonstration is being led by Dustin Reed, father of 7-year-old Madelynn, one of the 11 special needs students who were unable to dine at the Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland during a field trip on December 3, according to parents and school administrators. The protest is scheduled to take place from 1-5 p.m. EST on December 15.

Over 200 people have indicated they will attend the protest on Facebook, with many expressing solidarity for the affected students, parents, and teachers. Supporters have commented from across the globe, including locations as far away as Chicago and Brazil.

“It’s reassuring to see so many others supporting us,” Reed told YSL News on Wednesday. “It’s also heartbreaking because reading these stories reveals the reality of issues that often aren’t discussed, largely due to the lack of media attention and the willingness of people to advocate for those who need a voice.”

Elise Horne, co-founder of the Charles County Autism & Developmental Disabilities Parent Support Group, shared her intention to participate in the protest on Sunday. Horne has a 9-year-old son with nonverbal autism who attends the Charles County Public Schools District. Although he wasn’t part of the Cracker Barrel field trip, he frequently joins similar community-based outings.

“It’s crucial for local organizations to grasp that discrimination against my son’s community is unacceptable,” Horne stated. “I want to help convey that message. The more of us who come together, the more powerful our voices will be. I stand in solidarity with these parents because it could easily have been my son in their position.”

What happened?

On the previous Tuesday, 11 students accompanied by seven staff members from the Charles County Public Schools District visited the Waldorf Cracker Barrel. This outing was aimed at providing students in special education with practical skills and social interaction in a real-world environment.

According to an email from Katie Schneider, a special education teacher in the district, the group was denied service during their visit. Schneider reported that the restaurant claimed it could not accommodate them and asked that it be removed from the approved list for future field trips.

While the restaurant allowed the group to place a to-go order, Schneider mentioned that after waiting for about an hour, the students eventually went outside to wait on their school bus and ended up having their lunch at the elementary school instead.

The students, who are part of Dr. James Craik Elementary School, are enrolled in the district’s ACHIEVE program for those with “significant cognitive disabilities” and the SOAR program catering to students with autism.

In response to the incident last week, three employees of the Waldorf Cracker Barrel were terminated. A statement from Crack Barrel confirmed that an internal investigation was initiated, which involved interviews with both guests and employees.

“We aim to foster a welcoming atmosphere and provide an excellent experience for everyone, regardless of their abilities. We uphold a zero-tolerance policy against any forms of discrimination,” said the statement. “We did not refuse service to this group of students; however, operational issues caused by staffing shortages and communication failures led us to fall significantly short of our service standards that day, which is inexcusable.”