A Jewish mother and her partner were arrested and held for 11 hours after raising concerns about their daughter’s Hertfordshire primary school, prompting a formal police review.
Rosalind Levine, 46, and Maxie Allen, 50, were arrested at their Borehamwood home on 29 January on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property.
The arrest followed a long-running dispute with Cowley Hill Primary School. The couple had questioned the school’s leadership and the recruitment of a new headteacher and were later banned from the premises after sharing critical comments in a parents’ WhatsApp group.
The school told The Times it had “sought advice from police” following what it described as “a high volume of direct correspondence and public social media posts” that had caused upset to staff, parents and governors.
Cowley Hill Primary School, Borehamwood
Police confirmed six officers attended the couple’s home. Levine and Allen were arrested and interviewed before being released with no further action. Hertfordshire Police said the arrests “were necessary to fully investigate the allegations”, but that officers later found “insufficient evidence” to pursue charges.
The couple raised concerns about their nine-year-old daughter, Sasha, who is neurodivergent, epileptic and registered disabled. In December, they were visited by police and advised to remove her from the school, which they did in January, one week before the arrest.
Levine said the ordeal was “inexplicable” and left them deeply shaken. “We cannot fathom what happened; it doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “We made a few inquiries, we had a bit of banter on a WhatsApp group and then we were arrested.
“I think the school overreacted by going to the police, but ultimately the problem here and what happened to us lies with the police, because the police ultimately were the ones who made that decision to come and arrest us.”
Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, has asked the Chief Constable for an explanation. “There has clearly been a fundamental breakdown in relationships between a school and parents that shouldn’t have become a police matter,” he said.
“While people should be courteous and go through the proper channels when raising concerns about a public service, the public should be able to express their views without worrying they’ll get a knock at the door from the police,” he added.
A prior police visit to the family in December had already prompted a complaint, which was reviewed and found to have been handled appropriately, according to the force.
Hertfordshire Police confirmed a “rapid and thorough review” of the case is under way, with findings due to be discussed at a public accountability meeting this week.
