Sumter Parents Raise Concerns About Students’ Cafeteria-Cleaning Tasks
Parents in Sumter, South Carolina, claim their son and other students with disabilities were made to clean the Lakewood High School cafeteria. The school district stated these tasks are part of employability and life skills programs and are currently reviewing…
Phoenix, AZ, October 19, 2026 —
Parents in Sumter, South Carolina, say their son and other students with disabilities were made to clean the cafeteria at Lakewood High School. The school district said the tasks are part of employability and life skills programs and that it is reviewing its practices.
The information provided does not specify when the cleaning took place, what tasks students performed, how often the work occurred or how students were assigned to it. It also does not identify the parents, the students or any school or district officials who addressed the matter.
The district’s statement describes the cafeteria work as part of programs intended to develop employability and life skills. The statement does not provide further details about the programs, including their goals, how participation is determined or what oversight applies to the activities.
The district said it is reviewing its practices. No timeline for that review, findings or changes was provided. The information available also does not indicate whether the review concerns the specific cafeteria-cleaning tasks, the broader programs or both.
The parents’ account and the district’s explanation present different perspectives on the work: the parents say students were made to clean, while the district characterizes the tasks as program activities. Details that could clarify the circumstances, including the students’ experiences and the district’s review process, were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Tanner Gilmartin, Gray News staff on www.azfamily.com, see more information here.
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