{"id":189744,"date":"2023-12-12T19:16:49","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T19:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/?p=189744"},"modified":"2023-12-12T19:16:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T19:16:49","slug":"school-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/world-news\/school-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils\/","title":{"rendered":"School head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils"},"content":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE<\/span> School head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils waging a ‘campaign of harassment’ against him after they used social media to claim he was an ‘evil bully’<\/h1>\n

A secondary school headteacher has launched legal action to stop the parents of two pupils from waging a ‘campaign of harassment’ against him in what is thought to be the first case of its kind.<\/p>\n

The parents used social media to claim that Kevin Flanagan was an ‘evil bully’, and mounted a vendetta against him, his girlfriend, and children, the High Court in London will hear.<\/p>\n

Mr Flanagan, head of Pensby High School in Heswall, Wirral, rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, is suing Keith and Stephanie Critchley, and seeking an injunction to force them to take down a Facebook page originally called FamiliesFightFlanagan.<\/p>\n

He’s also claiming damages of \u00a320,000 plus legal costs.<\/p>\n

The dispute began in March 2022 when Mr Critchley, 58, allegedly became ‘aggressive and highly abusive’ towards Mr Flanagan and his female deputy head during a meeting at school about their younger daughter, 12.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The parents used social media to claim Kevin Flanagan (pictured) was an ‘evil bully’ and mounted a vendetta against him, his girlfriend, and children, the High Court will hear<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mr Flanagan, head of Pensby High School in Heswall, Wirral, rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, is suing Keith and Stephanie Critchley (pictured), and is seeking an injunction to force them to take down a Facebook page originally called FamiliesFightFlanagan<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The dispute began in March 22 when Mr Critchley, 58, allegedly became ‘aggressive and highly abusive’ towards Mr Flanagan and his female deputy head during a meeting at school (Pensby High School in Heswall, pictured) about their younger daughter, 12<\/p>\n

According to the legal papers, Mr Critchley was ‘at one point appearing to be on the brink of physically attacking Mr Flanagan’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The meeting was cut short and Mr Critchley was escorted from the school premises.’<\/p>\n

In May 2023, Mrs Critchley complained about how her daughter was being treated and spoke to Mr Flanagan and another teacher in the school reception.<\/p>\n

According to the claim, when Mr Flanagan suggested her daughter should speak to her head of year, Mrs Critchley responded aggressively, ‘raising her voice and shouting at him’.<\/p>\n

Mrs Critchley was asked to stop shouting and gesticulating at Mr Flanagan, then asked to leave the school site.<\/p>\n

Later that month, Mrs Critchley set up a Facebook group called FamiliesFightFlanagan, which described him as despicable, a bully who humiliated children and a liar who abused his power as a headteacher.<\/p>\n

Following warnings from the school governors and interventions by the police, the group’s name has been changed to FamiliesFightFeckless, but the campaign went on, even after the Critchleys removed their daughters from school.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mr Flanagan (second from right) is also claiming damages of \u00a320,000 plus legal costs<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to the legal papers, Mr Critchley (right) was: ‘At one point appearing to be on the brink of physically attacking Mr Flanagan. The meeting was cut short and Mr Critchley was escorted from the school premises’<\/p>\n

According to the legal documents Mr Critchley told the headteacher that he would mount a relentless campaign until he was removed as headteacher, and later following Mr Flanagan’s girlfriend as she drove, beeping his horn and driving aggressively.<\/p>\n

Mr Flanagan says he was so upset and distressed about the campaign against him that he considered resigning as headteacher of the 885-pupil secondary modern school.<\/p>\n

The school governors stepped into the row, and, worried for his safety, Mr Flanagan spoke to police several times before he turned to the court.<\/p>\n

He accuses the parents of becoming aggrieved initially because their children were not classed as having special educational needs and lists a catalogue of issues including Mr Critchley having to be escorted from the school for shouting abusively, both parents intimidating staff at the school gates, offensive postings on Facebook and YouTube, and Mr Critchley driving behind his girlfriend aggressively, beeping his horn.<\/p>\n

Mr Critchley is said to have turned up outside the headteacher’s home at 9pm one evening, called the headteacher, who has Irish heritage, a ‘paddy’, and harangued the co-chairman of the school governors outside his front door.<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

Later that month, Mrs Critchley (right) set up a Facebook group called FamiliesFightFlanagan, which described him as despicable, a bully who humiliated children, and a liar who abused his power as a headteacher<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mr Critchley (pictured) is said to have turned up outside the headteacher’s home at 9pm one evening, called the headteacher, who has Irish heritage, a ‘paddy’, and to have harangued the co-chair of the school governors outside his front door<\/p>\n

Mr Flanagan lists a catalogue of events he brands as a campaign of harassment in a thirty-page legal document, detailing false claims made on the Facebook page.<\/p>\n

The Facebook page, whose name was later changed to FamiliesFightFeckless, became an echo chamber for the ‘disgruntled and querulous’, he claims.<\/p>\n

In June 2023, the campaign appeared to move from social media onto the street, with the Critchleys driving slowly past the school, or standing opposite the gates appearing to film the beginning and end of the school day.<\/p>\n

A number of the comments by other parents on the Critchley’s Facebook page were supportive of the school, it is claimed, and the legal papers quote one comment, accusing the page of being ‘hypocritical’ and doing the very thing which they claimed Mr Flanagan was doing \u2013 bullying.<\/p>\n

One user wrote: ‘You have demonstrated ‘bullying’ in the most basic way by starting a Facebook group where like minded people gather to ‘b***h’ (because that’s what it is, you’re b******g, if you had any validity to your argument, you would be straight to the local councils education department or OFSTED)\u2026 All this is undermining leadership and putting the continuity of the education my child and plenty of others receive into jeopardy.’<\/p>\n

Later that month, Mr Flanagan addressed the Facebook page in a letter to parents, including the Critchleys, in which he accused them of bullying, saying: ‘It is hard stand up to behaviour, such as threats, intimidation and victimisation of others.’<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In June 2023, the campaign appeared to move from social media onto the street, with the Critchleys (pictured) driving slowly past the school, or standing opposite the gates appearing to film the beginning and end of the school day<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

His wife Stephanie (pictured), 34, said: ‘I’m devastated that it’s gone so far. We don’t regret putting up the Facebook page but I do regret sending my two daughters to his school’<\/p>\n

He thanked those who had sent him messages of support and added: ‘I realise it does take some bravery to stand up to a process that can go so far, so quickly and allow for bullies to gain a platform quite so freely.’<\/p>\n

Later that month the school’s governors ‘invited’ the Critchleys to take down their Facebook page or face legal action. Instead the couple allegedly turned up at the home address of the chairman of the governors.<\/p>\n

According to the documents he then began ‘screaming’ at his daughter to return to him and ‘attempted to charge into the school swearing and shouting at Mr Flanagan’ and ‘repeatedly called Mr Flanagan a “f*****g n**head”.’<\/p>\n

Former publisher Mr Critchley, 58, told MailOnline he and his wife were taking legal advice on how to respond to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

He said: ‘I was shocked when the legal letter came through, we are being badly treated, not him. What he’s saying is absolute rubbish. He’s got a vendetta against us.<\/p>\n

He claimed he had called the police on Mr Flanagan. The father-of-four added: ‘He’s a bully who’s never got on with us as we’ve stood up to him. We’re now taking legal advice of what to do.’<\/p>\n

His wife Stephanie, 34, said: ‘I’m devastated that it’s gone so far. We don’t regret putting up the Facebook page but I do regret sending my two daughters to his school.<\/p>\n

‘We have complained to the police, Ofsted and the school governors about him.’<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE School head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils waging a ‘campaign of harassment’ against him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSchool head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils - News Need News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/world-news\/school-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"School head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils - News Need News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"EXCLUSIVE School head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils waging a ‘campaign of harassment’ against him\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/world-news\/school-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Need News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-12T19:16:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jason\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/School-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jason\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/world-news\/school-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/world-news\/school-head-launches-20000-legal-fight-to-stop-parents-of-two-pupils\/\",\"name\":\"School head launches \u00a320,000 legal fight to stop parents of two pupils - 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