Some U.S. schools cancel Lifetouch class photos after Epstein claims

Some U.S. schools stop Lifetouch photos after online Epstein claims

Some U.S. school districts moved to cancel or alter their plans for Lifetouch class pictures after social media posts tied the student-photo contractor to billionaire investor Leon Black and to Jeffrey Epstein. The posts, which circulated widely online, linked Lifetouch to Apollo Global Management, a firm associated with Black, and prompted families to question whether a company used to photograph students had any connection to Epstein.

Lifetouch, which said it photographs millions of students each year, rejected the claims. In a Friday statement, the company said the allegations were “completely false,” adding that it has never had a relationship or contact with Epstein and that it does not share student images with outside parties, including Apollo. The company also said Apollo and its funds have no role in Lifetouch’s daily operations and have no access to student images.

The disruption to school picture schedules began after the online claims linked Lifetouch to Apollo and then to Black, whose name has appeared in multiple episodes connected to the Epstein investigation. Black led Apollo in 2019, when funds managed by Apollo bought Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly, according to the reporting in the case. The reporting noted the $2.7 billion deal closed in September 2019—about a month after Epstein died by suicide in custody while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking and abuse allegations.

Both Lifetouch and Apollo pointed to that timeline in their Friday responses. Two days earlier, Lifetouch Chief Executive Ken Murphy posted on Instagram that neither Black nor any Apollo directors or investors had access to Lifetouch photos. In Friday remarks sent by the company, Lifetouch said “No Lifetouch executives have ever had any relationship or contact with Epstein and we have never shared student images with any third party, including Apollo.”

In Texas, at least one district cited direct parent concerns about the photo vendor. In Malakoff, a small town in the state, the local school district canceled a student picture day after several parents told the district they were not comfortable with Lifetouch photographing their children, spokesperson Katherine Smith said in a statement emailed Friday. Smith said the district decided “our students and families would be best served by keeping all of our pictures in-house for the rest of this year,” and that it is “looking at all of our options for the 2026-2027 school year.”

The reporting also described other changes in Texas and a charter school in Arizona. It said several other schools and districts in Texas canceled or adjusted plans, and that the actions were posted on social media accounts maintained by the schools, including Facebook announcements.

Some parents said the concern was rooted in student-data handling as much as association with Epstein-linked names. MaKallie Gann, whose children attend schools in Howe, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Dallas, said ordering pictures would show identifying information. “Whenever you order the pictures, it has their name. It has their age, of course. It has their grade, their teacher, the school that they’re in,” Gann said.

The controversy also plays out against the backdrop of a broader release of documents from the Epstein investigation. The reporting said news organizations’ review of thousands of records released this month by the U.S. Department of Justice did not turn up evidence showing Epstein or people in his orbit seeing Lifetouch photos, although the file set includes at least 1.7 million records. The review showed Black’s name appearing 8,200 times, the reporting said, and noted that the figure could include duplicate records.

The reporting further said Black stepped down as Apollo’s CEO in March 2021, saying he wanted to focus on his family, health, and other interests. It described that decision as coming two months after a committee of the Apollo board issued a report concluding that Epstein advised Black personally on estate planning, tax matters, charitable giving and running his “family office,” while also saying the review found “no evidence” that Black was involved with Epstein’s alleged criminal activities in any way or at any time.

No Lifetouch executives have ever had any relationship or contact with Epstein, the company said, and Lifetouch added that it has not shared student images with outside parties. Still, as the record release continues to feed social media narratives, some schools appear to be responding by prioritizing internal picture processes while families press for assurances about who sees student images and what information is collected.