Important Update About Marketing to Families
February 2025
Each school year, Torrance Unified receives thousands of requests from agencies, businesses, organizations, and families who want to distribute information and marketing materials to our 22K+ families. As a District, we follow protocols that help us review, approve, and distribute these messages in a timely manner and environmentally friendly manner, with equitable access, while protecting our families' time and focus. After recent inquiries from external organizations, our administration reviewed our decision-making process and established the following updated guidelines. Please take some time to review these updated protocols for Peachjar, our electronic flyer distribution system, to better understand our current process for reviewing and approving materials.
Torrance Unified School District uses an electronic flyer communication and delivery tool called “Peachjar” in an effort to be environmetally friendly and to embrace innovative technology. This paperless delivery system continues to save our community partners and schools tons of paper, reduces copy costs, and removes an administrative task for teachers, office staff, and volunteers to complete. Families receive electronic flyers twice a week by email, or can click on a button on our schools websites, and principal newsletters to see the latest news.
After reading through the updates on this page, please click here for specific instructions on how to submit your flyer for approval.
A notification summary of the most recently posted electronic flyers (ALL TYPES) is emailed twice a week (currently Monday and Thursday) to all families, who have not opted out of receiving these notices. These new guidelines will now streamline the quantity and quality of materials our families receive to give everyone a better chance to see and absorb the materials. In addition, we are encouraging all principals to promote PeachJar, and placing more enticing content such as discount tickets and student contest opportunities to increase attention.
There are four ways information can now be distributed on PeachJar:
- TYPE 1: Uploaded and sponsored by the District through the Communications Department (FREE)
- TYPE 2: Uploaded and sponsored by a school (FREE)
- TYPE 3: Uploaded by a nonprofit organization (1 FREE flyer every 28 days after PeachJar approves the organization for the Community Free Flyer Program)
- TYPE 4: Uploaded by a parent. business or organization/agency (Currently costs $25 per school, $800 for the whole District)
Peachjar automatically filters the posted flyers into two digital bulletin boards: TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 are published on the SCHOOL Digital Bulletin Board, and TYPE 3 and TYPE 4 are published on the COMMUNITY Digital Bulletin Board. However, families recieve ALL types every week.
Our Communications Coordinator will use the chart below as internal guidelines to evaluate and approve all types of flyers. These criteria aim to make sure that we are being fair and consistent with all organizations seeking to market services and products to our 22K+ Torrance Unified families. Our goal remains to reduce paper waste and serve as a filter to keep marketing materials appropriate and relevant to our families and protect them from information overload.
Unfortunately, at this time, we still cannot accept any physical hard copy promotional materials to be distributed at our schools and to our families, even if the organization pays for the materials. With the number of materials and requests we receive each month, we cannot equitably nor practically accommodate approving all organizations and services seeking to reach our families without inundating our families.
School Administrators will ask if you have approval from the Communications Department at the District office, which we cannot give at this time. You may approach the officers in your school PTA organizations and see if they are able to distribute anything to their members in their electronic newsletters or physical packets.
If you would like to host and market an after-school program or event at one of our Torrance Unified school sites, you must first:
(1) Click here to complete the steps for Board Approval
(2) Click here to submit a Facilities Use Request
You must have completed these steps and received approval from both the District and the school site principal, and/or front office staff are aware of your event before submitting a request to market your program or service through Peachjar.
PLEASE NOTE: Once you have been approved to hold an after-school program or event, you will still need to apply to distribute marketing materials, as it is a separate approval process.
| Marketing Goal | Examples | TYPE 1 | TYPE 2 | TYPE 3 | TYPE 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FREE school or community-hosted educational events and programs that align with our District’s vision, mission, and core values | Cafeteria menus, healthy eating information, art contests, district-hosted information nights/webinars, free South Bay Families Connected (SBFC) parent workshops and events, election registration, open houses for organizations such as SCROC, local college info sessions, safety notices, Metro Go pass program for students, early college, preschool, TK, Torrance Adult School class enrollment, ELOP, Torrance Unified sponsored webinars and parenting classes, etc. | YES | YES | YES | N/A |
| FREE, healthy, and wholesome enrichment opportunities that support education beyond the classroom | FREE public performances and auditions, community tours, food bank distributions, book giveaways, LA County Services, library programs, Botanic Garden/nature events, grief and addiction support groups, hospital community education events, vaccination clinics, health and wellness public events, sister cities travel opportunities, etc. | YES | YES | YES | N/A |
| Fee-based, healthy, and wholesome enrichment opportunities that support education | Community sports leagues and camps (Little League, Community Softball, AYSO, Local university sports camps, etc.), Chess club, music lessons, summer schools, botanic events, City of Torrance Attic After School Club, mental health services, STEM and robot camps, junior lifeguards, martial arts classes, etc. | NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED | YES | YES |
|
FREE leisure activities for our students and families sponsored by organizations/ |
Free public cultural events, invitations to holiday family events in downtown Torrance, sponsors’ free programs (Refinery Open House), City Yard Open House, Armed Force Day Parade, parks events, public sporting events, park movie nights, etc. |
SOME | SOME | YES | YES |
|
Mutually beneficial FREE (or fee-based) programs and requests for established strategic partners, including TEF, Project Hope, TPD, TFD, the City, and the Chamber. |
Surveys from organizations such as the City of Torrance, the Water District, the public library, roundtables with government officials, TEF Summer enrichment program, discount tickets to sporting events, Chamber running/walking events, etc. |
YES | YES | YES |
N/A |
|
FREE Scholarship, volunteer, college, and job opportunities for youth and families |
TUSD job opportunities, Scholarship Opportunities, Free Service programs (Volunteer Center, Rotaract, Kiwanis, etc.), career fairs, professional development events, college info sessions hosted by the schools, not a secondary company, internships/apprenticeships, Torrance Police Explorers, volunteer activities, Beach Clean-ups, etc. |
SOME | SOME |
YES |
YES |
|
Marketing for fee-based businesses or services or programs that fall outside of the criteria above, including those renting our Torrance Unified spaces |
Religious institution events, gym and exercise memberships, coupons for restaurants, business advertising, bookstores, malls, discounts and deals to businesses, bank account deals, any form of tutoring/ educational services, independent student entrepreneurship businesses |
NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED |
| Solicitations for funds or services from Torrance Unified partners who raise funds to directly and solely serve our students | Events and fundraisers for the Torrance Education Foundation, Project Hope, fundraisers and drives for TPD/TFD, Chamber/City athletic races, PTA Elementary and Middle schoolwide fundraisers (only if advertised to a single school) | YES | YES | YES |
N/A |
|
All other solicitations for funds or services to benefit an organization or individual |
Districtwide PTA fundraisers, Go Fund Me or Caring Bridge Campaigns, Disaster Relief, car washes, student-led fundraisers, nonprofit/hospital galas and fundraisers, Sponsor a Family, Volunteer Recruitment specifically for fundraising events, Christmas tree lots, scouting sales, candy/cookie/wrapping paper and other goods sales, etc. |
NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED | NOT APPROVED |
Please click here for more information about how to submit your flyer for approval.
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