The parents of the 9-year-old girl said she was in police custody for 11 hours after complaining about her daughter’s primary school.
Maxie Allen and his partner Rosalind Levine said they were arrested and detained on suspicion of harassment, malicious communication and causing trouble for school property.
The couple said they had previously been banned from enrolling at Cowley Hill Elementary School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire after criticising the school’s principal and leadership in their parents’ WhatsApp group.
The school said it “sought advice from the police” after claiming it was upsetting for staff, parents and the governor after “a massive amount of direct communication and public social media posts.”
Hertfordshire police said the arrests are “necessary to fully investigate daily allegations of these types of issues.”
“Following further investigation, officers thought that there was insufficient evidence and should not take any further action,” they added.
Times Radio producer Allen said six police officers appeared at their home on January 29th.
He told Sky News:
“Is it a terrocell, is it a drug nest they are about to attack? No, it was two parents in a dispute with the school. [Hertfordshire police] I have decided that it is an appropriate and necessary operation. ”
Doorbell footage shows six police officers arriving at Maxie Allen and Rosalin Drevine’s home in January. Photo: Twitter/X/Times Radio
Allen reportedly communicated to the school about a recruitment for a new principal in May 2024, but his question was rejected.
The school’s governor has since reportedly wrote to the parent body about “inflammatory and slanderous” comments on social media, warning that the school will take action against those who have caused “discordance.”
The Times reported that Allen and Levine expressed distrust over the private WhatsApp group warnings, and that the school subsequently banned them from entering the facility. After the ban, the two said they emailed schools “regularly” about the needs of their disabled daughter.
Officers warned their families in December and told them to take Saska away the following month, a week before his arrest, the Times reported.
Allen argued that he and Levine were not abusive and were never told which communication was a crime.
Levine told Sky News that the incident remains “inexplicable” for her. “We can’t guess what happened. That doesn’t make sense. We made some enquiries and made a bit of a joke to the WhatsApp group before we got arrested,” she said.
A spokesman for Cowley Hill Elementary School told The Times that he was happy that parents would raise concerns as long as they do it in the “proper” way.
Hertfordshire Constabulary added:
“In connection with the police visit on December 20th, a complaint was filed that was reviewed by our Specialist Standards Office, which was deemed appropriate for the services provided by the officers.”
