School poll not effective

Dear Editor,

Recently the Lehighton School District released the results of a 10-question survey on a proposed building project. This type of poll, in which the respondents are self-selected, is known as a "straw poll." For a poll to have any kind of efficacy, any respondent in the "universe" (the group whose opinion you want) should have an equal chance of being selected.

Straw polls, while often fun and occasionally interesting, have no real validity. I suggest if the Lehighton School District is really concerned about the opinions of the residents of the district, the board should hire a pollster who knows what he or she is doing.

Sincerely,

Roy Christman

Towamensing Township