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Distribution of Materials Policy

Washington County Public Schools has a policy to govern the distribution of community informational materials in schools. The policy is in place for several reasons.

  1. Consistency throughout the system so that all stakeholders seeking distribution of materials are treated equally
  2. Improved management of the process so that disruptions to the school day for students and staff are minimized
  3. Provides parents with access to community information materials

WCPS utilizes Peachjar, a digital flyer management platform, to make community informational materials available to parents and guardians via email and the WCPS website.

Digital materials will be distributed every Thursday to each parent and guardian who has an active email account on file with their child's school.

Additional information is provided below so that you can better understand the various considerations that are made for determining approvals. 

Distribution Guidelines

Board Policy KHC - Distribution and Posting | Regulation KHC – R

The Washington County Board of Education (BOE) has established a secondary website to host all BOE policies and regulations. The complete listing is available at BoardDocs, a means for WCPS stakeholders to access to meeting agendas, minutes, policies & procedures and other information about the business of Washington County Public Schools.

Here are some of the considerations that determine approval:

  • Flyers from a non-profit organization, which are consistent with the goals and are not advertising for profit/fundraising will most likely be approved. The most difficult decisions relate to fundraising activities, and these are considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Flyers from commercial establishments that involve the purchase of any items or advertisement of a moneymaking venture, including fundraising, will most likely not be approved. The most difficult decisions relate to "free" events sponsored by businesses, and these are considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • As a general practice, the school system supports the activities of governmental entities, such as the requests from the Washington County Recreation Department and the City of Hagerstown, 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.
  • WCPS is neither endorsing nor sponsoring events/materials outside of its organization, and is neither approving nor endorsing the views of the organization sponsoring the activities advertised in the flyers. Peachjar will automatically add the following disclaimer to flyers from outside organizations: "This program, activity, product, or service is not sponsored by or affiliated with Washington County Public Schools."

Regulation KHC-R: Distribution and Posting of Community Informational Materials in Schools Guidelines

Policy KHC: Distribution and Posting of Community Informational Materials in Schools

Request Procedure

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 WCPS Public Information Office via Peachjar. Please allow up to five (5) business days for this process. All community organizations should schedule their flyer to be posted/distributed on a Thursday date. 

Any organization that is denied distribution may appeal to the Associate Superintendent of Leadership and Administration. WCPS 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 the Distribution and Posting of Community Informational Materials in Schools Guidelines.

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. WCPS does not receive any proceeds from this service.

Flyer Design Guidelines

  • PDF format required
  • Sized 8.5" x 11" (portrait orientation preferred)
  • 1-4 pages in length
  • 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:

  1. Click on "Sign Up" in the upper-right corner.
  2. Join the appropriate account type for: Parent/Guardian, Community Organization, or District Staff. If you are uploading a flyer to share with schools, you should select "Community Organization."
  3. Enter user information.
  4. Accept Peachjar's Terms of Use.
  5. Click "Submit."