A crowd of more than 30 people attend the Regional School Unit 10 board meeting at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford on Monday. People came to comment and listen to the board as they made their decision to study and consider the use of the former Mexico Police Department building on Recreation Drive and the basement of the Apostolic Church in Mexico to house Mountain Valley Middle School classrooms. The middle school building closed on Oct. 8 after air quality tests showed high levels of mold. Students switched to online learning Oct. 15. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

RUMFORD — The Regional School Unit 10 board of directors voted unanimously during Monday’s meeting to move forward with considering the use of the former Mexico Police Department building and the basement of the Apostolic Church in Mexico to house Mountain Valley Middle School classrooms.

The middle school at 58 Highland Terrace in Mexico was closed Oct. 8 after air quality tests showed high levels of mold. Students switched to online learning Oct. 15.

Directors also added an amendment Monday to their original vote regarding the use of the two buildings, adding that air quality testing, architectural studies and lease agreements will be part of their consideration of the two buildings.

The Apostolic Church on Brown Street in Mexico, seen Monday, is one of the building sites that the Regional School Unit 10 board of directors is considering sending Mountain Valley Middle School students for in-person classrooms. The middle school building closed on Oct. 8 after air quality tests showed high levels of mold. Students switched to online learning Oct. 15. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

The amendment to the original vote was spurred on by Director Kristen Chapman of Sumner, who said that her concern was that “proper procedure is carried out” in the board’s decision-making process.

Director Erin Hinkley of Buckfield also spoke about the process of choosing the buildings for students to return to in-person learning.

“We want the kids in a safe and healthy environment, but we also need to be smart at how we do it. We need to look at all of our options and take time to really make sure that it is in the best interest of the students,” Hinkley said.

The former Mexico Police Department building, seen Tuesday, is one of the building sites that the Regional School Unit 10 board of directors is considering sending Mountain Valley Middle School students for in-person classrooms. The middle school building closed on Oct. 8 after air quality tests showed high levels of mold. Students switched to online learning Oct. 15. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

Seven people from the crowd of 30-plus people spoke during the public comment period to voice their concerns about how the process of closing the middle school building was handled and the future in-person learning situation for the middle school students.

Mountain Valley High School senior Alyvia Theriault, speaking Monday at the RSU 10 board of directors meeting at the high school, said she was concerned about the possibility of the high school and Mountain Valley Middle School students having a split-schedule to accommodate middle school students’ classrooms at the high school. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

Mountain Valley High School seniors Alyvia Theriault and Aiden Gordon were concerned about the possibility of the high school and middle school students having a split-schedule to accommodate the middle school students at the high school.

“A split schedule will not only completely change students’ lives here and make things more complicated, but the vast majority of high school students have jobs and other commitments that would be affected with this decision. Many are also involved in athletics. How does that work for them? How will practice schedules work?” Theriault asked.

Gordon, who works to “make money on the side,” has a friend at MVHS who must work. “He has to pay his bills for his family, has to put food and give for his family. I’m worried that to split the days in half might (affect) his job,” Gordon said, adding that having a split schedule is not fair for high school seniors.

Superintendent Deb Alden later said during the meeting that having double sessions or split shifts to accommodate the middle school students at the high school is a “backup” idea. “We really don’t want to do that. We don’t want to do double shifts, but we are committed to in-person learning, and that is one way,” Alden said.

Another issue that Amanda Provencher, a parent of a student at Meroby Elementary School in Mexico, and Director Ed Bulger of Rumford questioned was whether the water at the school is safe to drink.

Devin Roberts, the district’s building, grounds and transportation director, told the board and those at the meeting that the water in MES and Rumford Elementary School buildings is “absolutely” safe to drink.

Regional School Unit 10 Director Kristen Chapman of Sumner, third from left, said Monday that her concern was that “proper procedure is carried out” in the board’s decision-making process for where the Mountain Valley Middle School students will attend in-person classes. From left are directors Peter DeFilipp, Erin Hinkley, Chapman and Darcy Klein. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

He explained that every year the schools’ water is tested for lead and any time they receive reports of contamination they are “obligated by the state to send (those results) out via email, mail, any which-way we can,” Roberts said.

Both elementary schools had some results of lead in the water “about two years ago,” and they “immediately mitigated those problems,” Roberts said.

“As of right now, I have no high lead level of readings at RES or MES, so I’m not sure where that (concern) is coming from. If I need to provide something from Maine quality water, I certainly can,” Roberts said.