Board endorses online-first community survey approach for proposed common campus

Superintendent Dr. Wing asked the Northern Lehigh School Board for direction on how to solicit community input about a potential move to a common campus model for Northern Lehigh Middle School and Slatington Elementary.

Dr. Wing told the board that attempting to mail paper surveys directly through the U.S. Postal Service had encountered multiple steps, multi‑day turnarounds and inconsistent guidance across local branches. He said staff coordinated with post offices in Slatington and Lehighton and were ultimately told some approvals must come from a New York office, leading to delays and unexpectedly high costs. "Given the ongoing delays and unexpectedly high costs, I now recommend exploring alternative solutions to ensure that community members...still have an opportunity to provide input," Dr. Wing said.

As an alternative, Dr. Wing proposed sending direct survey links to employees, parents and guardians, posting a survey link on the district website for other community members, running advertisements in local newspapers ahead of any Act 34 hearing, and making paper surveys available at the district office for those who prefer them.

Board members signaled broad support for the online-first approach with local advertising and paper availability. A board member (speaker 17) said the district would advertise in the Times News and note that paper copies could be picked up; another said posting the survey on the website was acceptable. Chair (speaker 1) summarized direction: proceed with the plan as presented and move forward.

Dr. Wing noted the district will still comply with statutory requirements for an Act 34 hearing when the district seeks to expand or add to existing building square footage beyond thresholds that trigger that process.

The board offered no objections and the chair instructed administration to implement the proposed outreach approach.