School districts across the country are reconsidering their picture day partnerships after social media posts pointed to a link between a major school photo company and a billionaire investor found in the Justice Department's files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
At least 10 districts across four states have canceled or paused their contracts with Lifetouch, the nation's largest school photographer. Other districts have announced they still plan to work with the company, while conducting ongoing reviews to ensure it is in the best interest of their students.
The controversy centers around Leon Black, who was an associate of Epstein's and the former CEO of Apollo Global Management, an investment fund that bought Lifetouch's parent company, Shutterfly, in September 2019.
In recent weeks, viral posts on Facebook and elsewhere have called Lifetouch's proximity to Epstein's orbit a "parental red flag,"and have warned families against allowing their children's photos and data to bekept by a company that could have been linkedto Epstein. There has been no evidence that has emerged that any children's photos were accessed inappropriately as news organizations review the thousands of Epstein documents released by the Department of Justice, and Lifetouch says on its website that when a student's photo is taken, "that image is safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions."
Lifetouch has called the alleged ties to Epstein "completely false." The company said it is committed to students' privacy and added that the timeline of events does not support a direct connection: Apollo's acquisition of Shutterfly came two months after Epstein was jailed on federal sex trafficking charges and a month after his suicide while awaiting trial.
"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," the company said in an email. "Apollo and its funds also have no role in Lifetouch's daily operations and have no access to student images."
Epstein and Black intersected as far back as 2001, when Epstein served as the director of Black's family foundation, a family statement in the Epstein files shows. Emails and texts in the trove of documents released by the Justice Department show the two had meetings over the years and indicate that Black received financial advice from Epstein. Black's full nameappears in the Epstein filesmore than 8,200 times, though some records may be duplicative.
Through his attorneys, Black declined to comment on Lifetouch.Citing health problemsthat he said were exacerbated by the public scrutiny over his dealings with Epstein, Black left Apollo Global Management in 2021, two years after the fund acquired Lifetouch's parent company.
Black's lawyer, Susan Estrich, has previously denied wrongdoing on his behalf.
Nonetheless, some families with schoolchildren feel uncomfortable.
East Texas mother Brittney McLain, who has three daughters, said she asked her children's school to cut ties with Lifetouch after she read about Shutterfly and Apollo's connection. When her kids' district, Malakoff Independent School District, announced last week that it was canceling Lifetouch's spring portraits, McLain was relieved — despite previously trusting the Lifetouch brand.
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"It just feels tainted," she said in a phone interview. "You have images, plus kids, plus data, that exist anywhere near corruption, and most parents — especially mothers — want distance."
Social media posts linking Lifetouch to Epstein and to broader conspiracy theories began to take off earlier this month. In one post onFeb. 3, an X account sympathetic to theunfounded QAnonandPizzagate conspiracy theoriesposted an 18-minute video that claimed Lifetouch, along with several other major brands, including Chuck E. Cheese, were part of a global child trafficking ring connected to Epstein. (In an email, Chuck E. Cheese said "There is no story here" and said its CEO was in the Epstein files only on a forwardedlist of conference speakersfrom 2018.)
NBC News identifiedseveral Feb. 5 postson Facebookand Xfrom accounts with as many as 324,000 followers that alleged photos of children taken by Lifetouch were at risk. Many Facebook posts used identical language, urging parents to "Ask questions" and "Protect your kids."One X postalone received 1.4 million views.
As online discussion increased, awidely-read Reddit postlast week from a self-identified teacher said the Epstein link caused their school to cancel picture day. The Reddit user did not identify the district but, by then, local news outlets in multiple states had reported that schools in their communities were scrambling to address parental concerns about Lifetouch.
NBC News reached out to 10 school districts in states including Texas, Arizona, Michigan and New Jersey that have announced they are canceling or suspending their contracts with Lifetouch. None responded other than Malakoff, which said in an email that "after feedback from our parents, we have decided to keep all photos in-house for the time being."
Lifetouch photographs more than 25 million students each year at over 50,000 schools,according to its website. The 90-year-old company has gone viral for more light-hearted matters in the past — such as whether the laser-themed photo backgrounds it offered in the 1980s were too corny.
Some school districts are still open to using Lifetouch despite the recent controversy. In California, Alisal Union School District administrators said they are figuring out how to proceed.
"The Alisal Union School District takes very seriously its responsibility to protect the safety and security of its students and families," the district said, adding: "A decision like that must be made through consultation with a variety of stakeholders, including parents, staff, and its Board members."
And at the 32,000-student Weber School District in Utah, public information officer Lane Findlay said it has been "evaluating the situation" since receiving a few concerns from parents. After speaking with a contact for Lifetouch in Utah, the district felt confident that students' information was safe.
"Whatever that connection is, it is so far removed from where we're at locally. It's just such a jump," Findlay said. "We're comfortable, confident that there's been no compromise of any type of student data, student photos, and we are going to continue our relationship with Lifetouch."
But McLain, the Texas mother of three, does not feel she can trust the photography company.
"I understand that there may or may not be a direct or current connection, but I think for many parents, that doesn't erase the discomfort," she said, "Even the perception of association matters when children are involved."
