Amanda Hamner of Mexico speaks Tuesday night during public comments at the Regional School Unit 10 board meeting at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford. She said Superintendent Deb Alden should resign “due to her poor leadership and decision-making skills.” Hammer, mother of a Mountain Valley Middle School student, cited the lack of a contingency plan for educating middle school students who are learning remotely because the school was closed Oct. 8 due to unhealthy air from the presence of mold. Marianne Hutchinson/Runford Falls Times

RUMFORD — Two parents told Regional School Unit 10 directors Tuesday night that Superintendent Deb Alden should resign, citing lack of leadership in handling student violence and the recent closing of Mountain Valley Middle School due to the presence of mold.

Amy Bernard of Rumford, mother of a fourth grader at Meroby Elementary School in Mexico, spoke during public comments at the meeting at Mountain Valley High School. She said she sent the board a letter asking Alden to resign.

“I do not feel like we have the leadership that we need to move forward,” she said. “I’m asking that you do an investigation as to how we got here.”

Her concern, she said, was the “multiple incidents at the elementary schools where students are violent towards other students and towards staff. This has been going on over a year. The administration is well aware of this, and nothing’s changed,” she said.

She was referring to Meroby Elementary and Rumford Elementary schools in Mexico and Rumford, respectively.

Bernard’s other concern was “the lack of a plan for the fifth through eighth graders” when the middle school was closed Oct. 8 after a third air quality test showed high levels of mold. She said the district knew about the issue since 2015 and officials had not prepared a contingency plan “other than to remote learn,” which is difficult for parents who work.

Amanda Hamner of Mexico, the mother of a middle school, also spoke during public comments, saying she thinks Alden should resign “due to her poor leadership and decision-making skills. It has become increasingly apparent that her actions or lack thereof are not in the best interest of our district.”

Hammer cited the lack of a contingency plan for educating middle school students while the school is closed.

“Where does it say, that outside of COVID-19, that remote learning is even acceptable?” she asked. “One thing COVID taught us was that remote learning doesn’t work.”

Brad Gallant of Rumford, who has two students at the middle school, said, “My specific issue is the way which these last four or five months have been handled regarding (lack of) communication, as I understand it.”

Addressing the board during public comments, he said, “We’ve had staff and students sick on and off for a while this school year, and the numbers of sick staff and students was an obvious statistical anomaly.”

He said his eighth grader’s severe illness was what “really pulled me into this.”

Gallant said he was upset parents weren’t informed as quickly as possible and the middle school staff’s concerns about illness in the building weren’t “taken as seriously as they should have been.”

Responding to Bernard, Alden said the district’s behavior committee has had three meetings and members “feel it’s gone well … we have more work to do,” she said regarding incidents of student violence against students and staff.

On the matter of remote learning, Alden said she was not happy with that choice.

“I would rather not go to remote learning, but it is something that we have done in the past and we have the equipment to do it for a short term,” Alden said.

Assistant Superintendent Matt Gilbert also called it “a short-term plan.” The administrators’ priorities are “making sure that we get every kid into in-person learning as quickly as possible, but also making sure that we take all the proper steps to set up some priorities and following those priorities,” he said.

Gilbert listed steps the district has taken in the interim for middle school students and staff:

• Space was created at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford for in-person instruction for students in the life skills program.

• Space is being identified for in-person instruction for students in the alternative education program.

• Andover Elementary School officials have agreed to provide additional supports for their students who normally attend the middle school.

• There is a plan to provide families with the opportunity to receive meals.

Alden said the district is considering using the former Mammoth Mart building on Route 2 in Rumford, which could house the 366 middle school students. However, it needs walls and clearance from the Office of the State Fire Marshall.