Distribution of Informational Materials
Frederick County Public Schools has Policy 513 and Regulation 513-01 to govern the distribution of community informational materials in schools. The policy and regulation are in place for several reasons.
- Consistency throughout the system so that all stakeholders seeking to distribute materials are treated equally.
- Improved management of the process so that disruptions to the school day for students and staff are minimized.
- Provides parents with ready access to community information materials.
FCPS utilizes Peachjar, a digital flier management platform, to make community informational materials available to parents and guardians via email and the FCPS and school websites.
Digital materials will be distributed every Tuesday and Thursday to each parent and guardian who has an active email account on file with their child's school.
On January 18, 2024, FCPS started using PeachJar for the electronic distribution of flyers from community groups/agencies not sponsored by an FCPS school.
Starting July 1, 2024, FCPS schools will be able to use PeachJar to electronically distribute flyers from community groups/agencies that are sponsored directly by a school.
Additional information is provided below so that you can better understand the various considerations that are made for determining approvals.
Distribution Guidelines
Here are some of the considerations that determine approval:
- Flyers from a non-profit organization, which are consistent with the goals of FCPS and are not advertising for profit/fundraising, are typically approved. The most difficult decisions relate to fundraising activities are considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Flyers from commercial establishments that involve the purchase of any items or advertisement of a money making venture, including fundraising or "free" events sponsored by businesses, are considered on a case-by-case basis.
- As a general practice, the school system supports the activities of government entities, such as requests from the Frederick County Recreation Department and the City of Frederick, to communicate with families about county and city-sponsored events. Sometimes these events/activities involve commercial establishments.
- Companies/programs sponsored by a school PTA/Booster club do not need to be approved at the district level. Please contact your individual school for approval.
- FCPS is neither endorsing nor sponsoring events/materials outside of the school system and is neither approving nor endorsing the views of the outside organization sponsoring the activities advertised in the flyers FCPS distributes. Peachjar will automatically add the following disclaimer to flyers from outside organizations: "These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Board of Education of Frederick County, the Superintendent, FCPS, or any FCPS school. Estos materiales no están patrocinados ni respaldados por la Junta de Educación del Condado de Frederick, la Superintendente, FCPS, o cualquier escuela de FCPS.”
Request Guidelines
Community organizations should visit www.peachjar.com and register as a “Community Organization”. Organizations will then have the ability to upload materials at any time for approval. The requestor should indicate the school(s) of distribution when uploading their materials. All flyers are reviewed by the FCPS Public Affairs Office via Peachjar. Please allow up to five (5) business days for this process. All community organizations should schedule their flier to be posted/distributed on a Tuesday or Thursday date.
Any organization that is denied distribution may appeal to the Associate Superintendent of Public Affairs. FCPS reserves the right to revoke approval to any organization or person if a complaint is received or the organization or person is found to be in violation of Regulation 513-01 Distribution of Informational Materials.
Flyer approval does not constitute endorsement. Approval simply means the material has been reviewed and meets the guidelines for districtwide electronic distribution.
Peachjar sets and charges a fee for community groups to distribute materials. This fee is typically much less than the cost to copy and deliver paper materials to each school. FCPS does not receive any funds from this service.
Flyer Design Guidelines
- PDF, PNG or JPEG/JPG format required
- Sized 8.5" x 11" (portrait orientation preferred)
- Under 50MB in size
- Minimum 12 point font
- Must contain the name and contact information of the sponsoring entity
- NOTE: links embedded in the PDF are not supported.
How to Sign Up
Families who wish to subscribe an additional email address, or staff members and others who wish to receive school and community flyers can sign up at www.peachjar.com using the following steps:
- Click on "Sign Up" in the upper-right corner.
- Join the appropriate account type for: Parent/Guardian, Community Organization, or District Staff. If you are uploading a flier to share with schools, you should select "Community Organization".
- Enter user information.
- Accept Peachjar's Terms of Use.
- Click "Submit."
- Review Peachjar’s Guide for Community Organizations for information about discount pricing, flier creation tips, and more.
After you hit submit, your flier will be automatically submitted to the district for approval. Once approved, your flier will be made available to parents and guardians and posted on each school’s web flyerboard for your selected duration of time. For more information on the process or pricing, please email support@peachjar.com or call 858-997-2117.