@markbbyrd What country and state?
https://michiganprosecutor.org/victim-faq#:~:text=Criminal%20complaints%20are%20prosecuted%20on,can%20issue%20or%20dismiss%20charges.
What happened was the other parents agreed to testify as witnesses against the other person. It was never up to them to "press charges" or not. It was up to the local prosecutors and district attorney.
"I am the victim and I want to drop the charge. Can I?
Many people incorrectly believe that a victim has the power to "press charges" against the wrongdoer, or to later "drop the charges". All crimes are offenses against the community, not just the individual victim. Criminal complaints are prosecuted on behalf of the State of Michigan, not the people who called the police or those who were personally harmed by the defendant's conduct. ONLY the Prosecuting Attorney can issue or dismiss charges."
So yes, this very much depends on where the parent lives in the UK and what their local laws are.
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/blogs/no-gavels-please-were-british#:~:text=Pressing%20charges&text=That%20is%20in%20a%20very,submissions%20made%20by%20the%20police.
"In 2019, after the MP Mark Field was filmed grabbing a Greenpeace protestor by the neck, The Guardian reported that the protestor "has no plans to press criminal charges". That is in a very literal sense true, since no one in England & Wales can press charges, unless one counts private prosecutions.
Charging decisions are, except in the case of minor offences, determined on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after reviewing submissions made by the police. While victims can appeal for review a decision not to charge, they do not have veto power over whether or not someone is charged. CPS certainly takes into account a victim's wishes, but that is entirely different from a victim having the ability to press charges."
