Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine arrested - The vindictiveness of the school and police overreach

[Everanewbie]

AIBU to worry that this type of incident seems to be happening more and more? To me, there are several concerning aspects to this story. Here is a link if you aren't yet aware.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/29/parents-arrested-by-hertfordshire-police-for-complaining-about-daughters-school

Firstly, the apparent opaqueness of a public organisation and attempts to shut down private conversation and the vindictiveness the school has shown in attempting to silence this couple.

Secondly, the treatment of the pupil whereby she is being dropped off an escorted into school, and inability to discuss he disability and SEN with teachers, leading to multiple emails that were ultimately used against the couple.

And thirdly, WTF are the police doing? 6 Officers to arrest a meek professional couple, in front of their daughter. Holding them in a cell for 11 hours? Why are the police not dismissing this out of hand? I have always tried to be a supporter of the police, but how can reasonable people continue to accept this when they wont attend a burglary or detain shoplifters, but turn up in force for a middle class couple who called a governor a control freak in a private conversation?

Nope it wasn't for talking negatively about the school. The letter never mentioned talking about the school.

Why was it then? The police haven't shown any malicious communication, which is what they were looking for. Why they couldn't have checked that before being heavy handed, presumably there was a recipient? All stinks of misuse of public services and an inability to deal with difficult situations in an adult manner.

These are the letters from the school that have been published.

The first one says the school will take action against anyone whose SM posts cause disharmony in school (letter to all parents).

The other letter was the one the school sent to the couple and it literally says “the school wrote to all parents requesting that social media was not used to post negative posts about staff or the school which causes disharmony within the school community”. The school says they wrote to the parents telling them not to post negative things on SM! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Whippy

She didn't say that. The letter said nothing of the sort.

I think it's incontrovertible that she absolutely did tell them not to speak about school matters. Another mother told about how she lost her rag with her and threatened to have her arrested.

For talking about another school matter.

I mean, you've read the WhatsApp exchange, haven't you? Do you honestly think they'd spoof a conversation, just to bully the acting head? They are discussing her fiat, forbidding discussion of her.

It's tin foil hat territory to claim otherwise.

The letter clearly says do not post defamatory things about members of staff.

Why did she lose her rag? Like children who come crying saying - mum they just shouted at me? The next question is why? Why did someone have to do that? What did the parent do to get a teacher to threaten the police? I've only ever seen that happen in a school when parents have threatened staff and been aggressive. So if this is the case then she is within her rights to tell the parents that if the parents have been aggressive towards her. The parents will never admit to that if they have done it. They never do! It is always 'just happened'! Just like kids say something 'just happened'!

I've read some of the exchange - the parts that they have agreed to show. Not all of it as for some reason they have only released some. One would ask why that is and why only certain parts have been shared. Maybe they do not wish to show the bits that have caused the issue. As kids do and some ppl on here, conveniently crop things to make it seem like it is about something else or cut off parts that would show the real truth.

Now is there a reason someone would do that? I mean surely they have nothing to hide as parents if they have done nothing?

Nothing to hide and no smoke without fire are fallacies.

You've edited this post, why? What did you want changing for public consumption? And your actual name isn't even attached to it. You might sat it is grammar or typos, but why should we believe you? What if you actually wrote something offensive but decided you don't want to release the original version?

Well there has to be a reason why they are not sharing them. I mean by all means accept that you have every right to believe it.

I am allowed to add extra sentences. Is that not allowed? my bad! I'll run it past you next time!

If I wanted to say something offensive I would but I am more mature than some. I do not debate with name calling or offensive language. Maybe if that is your first thought then that speaks volumes about what your go to is!

You actual name isn't even attached! Nor is anyone else's on here! Odd that eh?

I'm not asking you to believe me. You have every right to not believe me as have I every right to not believe parents who omit things on purpose. Everyone has the right to believe what they want. That is the freedom of the land - the right to believe. Now why do you hate the fact that I have the right to believe too?

Now do you understand what debating is? That means people with different opinions can talk about it. You do not need to cry over someone who disagrees with you or get your knickers in a twist about it. You can be mature and debate properly and say, as I have, that you have the right to disagree and the right to think what you want about me. I will lose no sleep over what you think! But looks likely you will over what I think!

Do you not think I have the right to question parents who omit things? Or should parents be untouchables?

"Well there has to be a reason why they are not sharing them. I mean by all means accept that you have every right to believe it."
Are you saying you know that there were other messages, that the police have but haven't charged for or that the school won't show? I haven't seen any suggestion of that anywhere, but if they aren't charging for it then surely they would have been posted by now if they existed?

"Everyone has the right to believe what they want. That is the freedom of the land - the right to believe. Now why do you hate the fact that I have the right to believe too?"
This seems a bit odd considering you are arguing against parents expressing their feelings about a school...the opposite of freedom? Am I losing the plot here?

Whippy

The letter clearly says do not post defamatory things about members of staff.

What was defamatory? Nothing. She clearly is a control freak; she also has absolutely no legal right to control and compell the speech of others.

Why did she lose her rag?

I'm going to follow suit and speculate:

She's a thin skinned control freak, who cannot abide criticism for her evident faults and wanted to bully the mother into silence.

Not just the mother! Imagine having an issue with the school now and seeing what happened to this family? How on earth would you proceed with any complaint? You clearly aren't allowed to ask anyone else if they have the same issue.

The school have very clearly said there were multiple in the letter. The s on the end of their words mean it is plural. Not sure how hot you are on grammar. So one 'insult' is clearly not it. Harassment is also more than one legally by law so there had to have been more than one for the police to actually act.

You would do as you normally would - deal with it maturely and speak to the school in a reasonable manner as normal folk should do.

Act like billy big bollocks and you'll likely get the same response.

I'm not arguing against them expressing feelings. You are wrong there.

We are yet to see as the parents have omitted messages and only shown us a few later on ones! She has a legal right to report things that breach the law same as if you did it to someone else.

If she cannot abide criticism then she would be losing her rag daily as the job is all about criticism. There are no positives given in that job so that clearly isn't the case is it or else all parents would say that she does this every day and so would the colleagues and she would not be in the job.

This is not bullying into silence. Maybe learn what bullying is. Interesting you say the parents have a right to say what they want but when the schools says something it is bullying? So you mean you want the parents to have the right to abuse staff and the school to just take it and never respond as freedom of speech is only one way in your eyes?

I don’t think the WhatsApp group was even libelous. Tbh it was fairly tame. I’ve certainly seen a lot worse.

The worst thing they said was to call the deputy head a “control freak”. That’s unlikely to be sufficient to be libelous and even if it was it could be legally justified (as being true/ in the public interest/etc).

people don’t need to keep their criticisms of public bodies private and they shouldn’t be forced to do so under threat of arrest. That’s the scary thing here to me.

This is truly nuts that they even sent this. It’s even more nuts that they doubled down and called the police. Even more nuts that the police acted on it without even looking into it

wrong post!

Whippy

This is not bullying into silence.

Yes, yes it absolutely is. She threatened to have one mother arrested, for questioning her. The mother backed down. That was the acting head bullying her into silence.

Maybe learn what bullying is.

Physician, heal thyself

She threatened one mam with her goon squad and actually set them on another set of parents. That is the very definition of bullying. You are performing DARVO here.

Her letter of intimidation has absolutely no legal force whatsoever. If I sent you a letter, ordering you to stop arguing with me, or else I'd send some weight lifters round to grip you, would you feel intimidated?

I would, if I were to receive such a letter, despite knowing that there was no legally defensible reason behind it.

That's exactly what this angry, ranting, thin skinned teacher has done.

You do not understand what bullying is then. Nope bullying is repeatedly doing things on purpose to cause harm. This arrest was one event and with the aim to prevent harm. Again you lack understanding of what bullying is.

Also she is not asking people to stop arguing with her. By all means do it, you are going against what you believe in that you think that anyone can say what they want to anyone no matter what.

Letters informing people to stop are the norm. And no I wouldn't feel intimidated as I wouldn't be making defamatory comments about the teachers I would be mature and deal with any problem in a rational manner. So I would think it doesn't apply to me and continue about my day. Only those acting aggressive and defamatory and harming teachers would feel bothered by this.

Also why is it a problem - teachers can say what they want, right? freedom of speech? I mean surely it applies to all no?

Teachers cannot be called thin skinned when this is the norm to be complained about and face criticism. Jesus you've never seen the MIT team in a school if you think teachers react to parents saying they don't like them! Give over! Parents say that daily! Many are bullies and get off on saying that to teachers. Teachers mock them in the staffroom! I think others are the thin skinned ones crying this is bullying over a bit of paper!

Being angry is a positive emotion and makes change happen. Maybe try it some time.

Didn't they make it hard for their kid to go there, as well as not been able to communicate without emailing prior to that despite clear special needs of the child, which they were then told not to do (it seems?) resulting in the child having had to leave the school before sending police to arrest them without evidence? That is not just one event! How can you not see why this is scary to most families?

How did they make it hard for the kid to go there? They could communicate via email and they did. Repeatedly.

There are consequences to actions and sadly these days many parents cannot handle that they have to have consequences. The schools warned them that should they continue this would be the consequence, as they do when children bully others. Stop it or there will be a sanction. They said they wouldn't so then there was a consequence. That is not bullying or do you think schools bully bullies when they say stop bullying or you will be suspended? Is that bullying the bully by saying stop harming other children?

Sadly these days many parents cry about consequences their children get! They cry if their kids get told not to bring fizzy pop into school. They cry about not following uniforms. We've seen all the daily fail sad faces in September that they run each year from parents who cannot handle consequences. They cannot handle following basic rules within society.

There are harassment and defamation laws specifically to protect people from harm. People are well within their rights to report harassment and defamation if it occurs.

How is it scary? If you are a mature adult and go about your business without aggression, name calling, false allegations, threats etc then there is no fear involved. If you do go about dealing with the school as some parents do with aggression, threats, false allegations and name calling etc then sanctions and consequences have to be put in place to protect people from harm.

The problem is that the school cannot give their side of the story fully, we are only getting the oarents' version.
I will say it is unusual for parents to be banned from site. Publishing disparaging and untrue information even in a private WhatsApp amounts to defamation, which whilst not a crime is unlawful and distressing and I think would justify a ban.
School staff take instructions on how to handle a child's medical condition from health professionals not parents for very obvious reasons. Having a central point of contact, such as a specific email address means that information is disseminated effectively to everyone who needs to know.
The decision to send 6 police officers, and to arrest the parents was made by the police, not the school.

This! Parents do not get banned for just asking questions. Parents get banned for aggression, threats, defamation, false allegations etc. Most schools put up with a lot before banning a parent.

Schools also have legal advisors who they also run things past before anything like this. The legal team will have been notified about this before the police were contacted. They will have advised on both the letters and the action. They likely would've written the letter themselves as is also the norm.

I can’t fathom what the police were thinking being so heavy handed in their initial response. The WhatsApp messages (that we’ve seen) did seem fairly time.

But I have to say, the parents also look like they’re a bloody pain in the arse to deal with 😂 I’m not saying this was handled well, but my condolences to any future teachers dealing with them.

They also look like they’re the type of people who would be rude to waiting staff and baristas. Just a v judgmental hunch.