RSU 10 officials defend single‑occupancy bathrooms, promise wall and supervision changes after community concerns

Mountain Valley Community School officials told a packed informational session that the district designed the new pre‑K–8 building to prioritize student privacy and reduce bullying, and that a dividing wall in the athletic locker area will be installed before the facilities are used for school sports.

"This building is 100% funded through the state," Superintendent Alden said during the Dec. 30 meeting, noting the district did not ask local taxpayers to fund the construction. Alden described a design that places single‑occupancy restrooms inside classrooms for younger grades and multiple single‑use toilet rooms along middle‑school corridors to increase visibility and supervision.

The design choices have drawn vocal questions from residents worried that floor‑to‑ceiling single‑stall rooms and a closed locker configuration could make it harder to detect misconduct or provide rapid help to a student in distress. One resident said the hallway stalls could become "a perfect prison…