Parents Question Cafeteria-Cleaning Duties for Students With Disabilities at Lakewood High
Parents in Sumter, South Carolina, allege that their son, who has autism, and other students with disabilities were required to clean the cafeteria at Lakewood High School. The school district states these activities are part of employability and life skills…
Lima, OH, October 20, 2026 —
Parents in Sumter, South Carolina, allege that their son, who has autism, and other students with disabilities were required to clean the cafeteria at Lakewood High School. The school district says the activities are part of employability and life skills programs and that they are under review.
The dispute concerns students’ participation in cafeteria cleaning and how the tasks fit within the school’s programs. The parents’ allegation and the district’s explanation present different perspectives on the activities: the parents say students with disabilities were required to do the work, while the district describes it as part of educational programming.
The information provided does not specify what cleaning tasks students performed, how often they were assigned, whether participation was mandatory for every student, or how the activities were supervised. It also does not identify the parents, the student, or the school district by name.
The district has not provided a timeline for its review in the available information. No findings or outcome of that review have been reported. It is also unclear whether the parents have raised concerns about the program’s educational purpose, the students’ treatment, or both.
The review may clarify how the activities are structured and how they relate to the stated employability and life skills goals. Until further details are available, the specific circumstances behind the parents’ allegation and the district’s assessment remain unclear.
Story summarized from the original created by Tanner Gilmartin, Gray News staff on www.hometownstations.com, see more information here.
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