I’m just an assertive Jewish mum and the school couldn’t handle it, says mother at heart of WhatsApp arrest scandal

The trouble began in May 2024, when Allen questioned Cowley Hill Primary School’s recruitment process for a new headteacher.

As a former governor at the school, Allen wrote to the governors with his concerns that an open process had not begun although the outgoing headteacher had announced his retirement six months earlier. He also asked for a meeting with parents to explain the hiring process.

Following his email, the school’s chair of governors sent a letter to parents, warning them about “inflammatory” comments on social media. The letter stated that any behaviour which caused “disharmony” within the school community would not be tolerated.

On a private WhatsApp group with parents of children in year five, Allen and Levine criticised the letter. Levine suggested the governor chair had “little spies” monitoring parents' social media, and Allen remarked that the school had no authority beyond its gates. “No public body has the power to control what people say about it,” he wrote.

After the message exchange, the couple was banned from the school premises. They do not know if the messages were the reason behind this.

They were prohibited from attending parents’ evening and their daughter’s performance in the school play, and could not meet staff to discuss Sascha’s medical needs. Instead, all communication had to go through a special email address created by the school.

Nine-year-old Sascha is neurodivergent and epileptic, and Levine said she wanted to give staff training on how to administer her daughter’s medication. She also wanted to ask questions regarding Sascha’s safety, including during swimming lessons.

In one email to the school, Levine asked, “What precautions had been put in place to keep Sascha safe in the swimming pool?” She added, “Swimming with epilepsy could be fatal without proper supervision, so I would like to see the risk assessment for this please.”

Levine stressed that the emails were simply about “general admin” and advocating for her daughter’s safety. “Some people have the impression that we were bombarding the school, but we sent no more emails than any other parent in our position. Because we were banned and put on limited communication, I couldn’t just nip into the office like I might have done before. Everything about Sascha had to go through email,” she explained.

Sascha became upset when her parents explained their ban to her. “At the centre of this all is a nine-year-old girl... When we first told Sascha about the ban, she sat on my lap and cried and cried. It was like we were being punished,” Levine said.

The couple made numerous attempts to resolve the situation, including requesting mediation. Local councillor Michelle Vince, who supported the couple, claimed that the school refused mediation when she made an offer to help facilitate a discussion.

In December, a police officer issued a warning to the family and told Cllr Vince to stop making enquiries. According to the councillor, she had sent two emails to the school over seven months and returned one phone call.

With no resolution in sight, in January the family withdrew Sascha from Cowley Hill. The following week, they were arrested.

After the investigation concluded with no further action and following the arrest, the couple was met by senior police officers at their home on Tuesday, along with Cllr Vince. According to Levine and Cllr Vince, the officers told them that they had not reviewed the emails before arresting the couple.

The councillor was not arrested but was told by police in December that she was “liable to being recorded as a suspect in a harassment investigation” if she did not stop all communication with the school.

The incident has left Cllr Vince concerned for the future of her work in the ward. “We must be so careful going forward after this. If we raise our head above the parapet, our houses could be searched,” she said, adding, “I will not be kowtowed by police.

“I have set up my CCTV ring bell to see if police would come for me. It is quite a scary thought to think you could be taken away... I never thought me doing my work as a councillor would lead to these allegations,” Cllr Vince went on.

Levine still does not understand how the issue escalated. “There must be a missing link,” she said. “We were just assertive and cared about the school leadership, [but] there are a lot of schools that can’t really handle assertive parents.”

She suggested that there might have been “culture clash” between her family and the school, which is in one of the most deprived areas of the county. “They were not used to people who asked them questions and challenged them, they weren’t used to people like us,” Levine explained, “You have to keep advocating for your child.

“We’re not afraid to confront authority and ask awkward questions. That went against the grain of Cowley Hill.”

She thinks being a Jewish mother is part of the reason she choses to speak up for her family. “Partly it was down to the demographic of the area – Jewish mums are a bit more pushy, but in comparison to [how] some other Jewish mums [would have dealt with the school], I was less pushy.”

When they removed Sascha from the school, Levine told Allen that she wanted to send her to a Jewish school as she thought it might be more “in line with my mindset.”

Though they were unable to secure places at the two Jewish schools in their area, both of which had long waiting lists, Levine said she hopes to send Sascha to a Jewish high school: “She really wants to go to a Jewish school for high school.”

The couple initially spoke to The Times about their experience. The story, which has since been reported around the world, has left Levine feeling “shell-shocked.”

Last night they attended their parents' evening at Sascha’s new school – not something they could do at Cowley Hill during the period of their ban – and said they were welcomed, and Sascha has settled into her new environment “amazingly.”

"The culture is so different, maybe it was just a Cowley Hill versus other schools thing,” Levine said.

A spokesperson for Cowley Hill Primary School said: “We sought advice from the police following a high volume of direct correspondence and public social media posts from two parents, as this was becoming upsetting for staff, parents and governors. We’re always happy for parents to raise concerns, but we do ask that they do this in a suitable way, and in line with the school’s published complaints procedure.”

Responding to the story in The Times, Hertfordshire Police said: “Following reports of harassment and malicious communications, which are criminal offences, a man and a woman from Borehamwood, both aged in their forties, were arrested on Wednesday 29 January.

“The arrests were necessary to fully investigate the allegations as is routine in these types of matters. Following further investigations, officers deemed that no further action should be taken due to insufficient evidence.

“In relation to the police visit on 20 December, a complaint was submitted which was reviewed by our Professional Standards Department. It was deemed that the service provided by officers was appropriate.”

Andy Prophet, the chief constable, said: “As the new chief constable for Hertfordshire my priorities are to fight crime, arrest criminals and build public trust and confidence. We will do this by tackling violent and sexual crime, street robbery, burglary, car and shop theft. I am equally focused on supporting my officers and staff in the difficult judgments they have to make on our behalf every day.”