Parents and staff raise hygiene, space and special-education concerns after Mountain Valley Middle School closure; board to schedule facilities review

Members of the public and several staff used the school board’s public-comment period to describe crowded, noisy and potentially unsanitary conditions in temporary classrooms used since Mountain Valley Middle School closed and to press the board for more accountability from district leadership.

The comments came during the Western Foothills Regional School Unit 10 (RSU 10) board meeting. Several speakers described the 7th–8th grade learning area inside Mountain Valley High School as an open, garage-like space with loud echoes, insufficient restroom capacity and personal items piled on metal shelving rather than in lockers.

“First off, we’re in an old bus garage. This is a huge room that echoes like crazy,” said Mikaela Harding, an eighth-grade student at Mountain Valley, describing noise that she said affects tests and daily learning. Melissa Harding, who identified herself as a parent and a worker at a local community-health organization and a former building advisory committee member, told the board there are “3 toilets for around 200 students” and that students regularly wait in hallways to use restrooms.

Several parents and staff also raised concerns about…