Dear Community Partner:

Enid Public Schools values the relationship we have with your organization and your staff. It is our honor to collaborate with you as we both work to serve our community. We are excited to announce a change to our Request to Distribute policy and procedures that will allow you to send materials home with students electronically.

Effective immediately, EPS has adopted PeachJar as an online solution for sending school and community flyers to parents in a regularly scheduled email. Organizations will work directly with PeachJar to upload their flyer, which will then be sent to EPS for approval before being forwarded to parents.

PeachJar offers this service at no cost to the district; however, there is a fee for community organizations that I believe you will find appropriate for the service you receive. PeachJar charges organizations between $12.50-$25 per school per distribution, depending on the number of credits purchased at one time. In many cases, the fee will be less than the cost of paper, printing and labor, which is currently incurred by both the district and the organization. Best of all, free community events may be promoted for FREE!

Here are a few advantages of using PeachJar:

•         Flyers will be posted on the school website for an extended period of time;
•         Full-color, multi-page brochures can be sent to parents at no additional charge;
•         Parents of middle school and high school students can be more easily reached;
•         Organizations and parents can easily repost the flyers on social media channels;
•         Customer service is provided by the company directly to community partners;
•         Organizations and schools save time, labor costs, printing costs, and trees;
•         Delivery- and read-rate of the company’s emails exceeds the industry standard;
•         Organizations can use a “Sign-Up Now” feature that allows parents to register for
          programs and events; and
•         Credits can be purchased in bulk for greater savings, including by national organizations.

You can learn more about PeachJar and establish an account for your organization by visiting www.peachjar.com. The end of this letter includes the administrative guidelines EPS will use regarding emails sent to parents. Changes have been made, so please review them carefully. Also, please note, if you wish to provide a handful of flyers to be placed in the school office, this will still be permitted by the schools.

Many schools across the nation have found that they are saving as much as $36,000 annually by using the PeachJar service. It is incredibly important that EPS maximize every dollar we have to focus on the core mission of our schools and to operate as efficiently as possible. We appreciate your support and cooperation as we utilize this new program, which we believe will positively benefit both EPS and your organization.

Sincerely,
Amber Graham Fitzgerald
Executive Director of Human Resources and Communications

 

Request to Distribute Guidelines
EPS is pleased to assist local non-profit organizations as they work to make our community an even better place to live and learn. The district’s resources, however, must be preserved to accomplish our greatest mission – providing quality education services to our students. Therefore, the following guidelines have been established for all distribution requests:

• Information/literature from non-profit organizations – with established 501c3 status – will be accepted for review, as will materials from commercial entities that meet requirements on Board Policy GIA (below).
• The organization making the request must register as a community partner with PeachJar by visiting www.peachjar.com PeachJar will allow you to upload your flyer, which will be sent to the HR & Communications Department for approval. If it is approved, it will be emailed directly to parents and will be posted on the school’s website.

Please Note: If the event is not free to the public, there will be a charge for this service, ranging from $12.50-$25 per school per distribution. In most cases, it will be less expensive than the cost of paper, printing and labor and/or traditional media advertising.

• The request must be submitted no less than seven working days prior to the event’s date or program’s deadline.
• All flyers/posters for distribution must have the following disclaimer: These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by Enid Public Schools. The views and information contained in these materials do not reflect the approval or disapproval of the Board of Education or school administration. Requests submitted without this disclaimer will be denied.

BOARD POLICY GIA:
DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION AND MATERIALS TO STUDENTS

It is the policy of the Enid Board of Education that students, school personnel, and school facilities may not be used in any manner for advertising, selling, fund raising, or promoting the interests of any non-school agency, organization, or individual without the prior written approval of the superintendent or the superintendent's designee.

Requests by individuals or groups for schools to use or distribute pamphlets, booklets, flyers, brochures, and other similar materials to students for classroom use or to take home must be submitted in writing to the superintendent's office.  The materials and the proposed method of distribution shall be subject to review based on legitimate educational concerns.  Such concerns shall include whether the material:

1.  May be defamatory;

2.  Is poorly written, inadequately researched, biased, or prejudiced;

3.  Contains information that is not factual;

4.  Is not free of racial, ethnic, or sexual bias; or

5.  Contains advertising that violates public school laws, rules, and/or policy, is deemed inappropriate for students, or that the public might reasonably perceive to bear the sanction or approval of the district.

The superintendent or designee will determine whether acceptance of the material will contribute in a meaningful way to the educational program of the school.  The educational program of the school is understood to include instruction, extracurricular activities, athletics, assemblies, and other similar activities carried out by the school.

The administration shall determine distribution procedures.  Such procedures may include:

1.  Distribution to each student before or after class if materials are not directly related to the instructional goals;

2.  Notification to students or parents of the availability of the materials in a specified location if this procedure is deemed less disruptive to the educational process; or

3.  Electronic distribution through a third-party, fee-based, board of education approved vendor.

4.  Solicitation of school-related groups such as parent organizations to distribute materials.

Announcements of events sponsored by non-school groups must meet the same criteria and, if approved, may be posted in a central area within the school.

The district will cooperate with non-profit community organizations that have worthwhile activities for children.  With the approval of the superintendent or designee, printed announcements of such activities may be distributed for those community activities that could broaden the educational experience of children.

Commercial materials will not be distributed through the schools unless they are of benefit to the overall educational program of the school and/or have meaningful benefits to students, their families and the school and are approved by the superintendent.  These materials include, but are not limited to, equipment, supplies, printed matter, logos, slogans, trademarks, symbols, individuals and programs which are recognizable as representing a commercial firm, product, or service.

Any plans by an organization that would involve students in any manner must have the prior approval of the superintendent.

The practice of distributing pamphlets, booklets, flyers, brochures, and other similar materials shall be periodically reviewed to ensure that the mere volume of requests has not become an interruption to the educational process.

Adopted:  November 20, 2003
Revised:  July 17, 2017