Some East Texas school districts have ended sessions with Lifetouch over its alleged ties to a firm linked to Jeffrey Epstein, prioritizing student privacy concerns.
TYLER, Texas — Multiple East Texas school districts have announced they’re reviewing or canceling sessions with Lifetouch, a widely used school photography company, due to alleged connections between the former CEO of Lifetouch’s parent company and Jeffrey Epstein.
Leon Black, a former executive linked to Lifetouch’s parent company Apollo, resigned from Apollo in 2021. Black was mentioned in recently released Epstein files.
Ken Murphy, the current Lifetouch Group CEO, said in a statement that the company is committed to student safety, noting that when Lifetouch photographers take a student’s picture, that image is “safeguarded for families and schools only, with no exceptions.” The statement said the company has never given photos to a third party.
The statement also said Lifetouch has only shared images for school records and for parents or guardians to purchase them. Lifetouch follows all applicable federal, state and local data privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The company said it never shares, sells or licenses student images to train AI models, including large language models or facial recognition technology.
Regarding its parent company, Apollo, Murphy said Apollo and its funds are not involved in the regular operations of Lifetouch, meaning no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to student photos.
“Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files. The documents contain no allegations that Lifetouch itself was involved in, or that student photos were used in, any illicit activities,” Murphy said. “We value the trust you put in us to safeguard your students’ images, and we are proud to help families across the country preserve these milestone memories.”
Following the recent information about these connections with Lifetouch’s parent company, multiple local school districts have announced they will no longer use Lifetouch for student photographs or released statements about reviewing their usage.
Athens ISD said in a statement that it is aware of the concerns surrounding Lifetouch and student photo privacy. The district said most scheduled photo sessions have already been completed under the existing contract, but any remaining sessions will be handled either in-house or through a local professional photographer.
Going forward, AISD said it will use a different photography provider for the upcoming school year.
“With approximately 3,000 students across multiple campuses, providing full professional photography services entirely in-house is not feasible, so identifying a new vendor will require careful review to ensure strong privacy standards,” the district said. “The safety and privacy of our students remain our highest priorities, and we will share updates as plans for next year are finalized.”
Crossroads ISD said in its statement that students are bringing home Lifetouch information for spring photos, but due to the recent publicity, the district will no longer use Lifetouch.
Parents are being asked to disregard any information or order forms that were sent home. The high school yearbook staff will take the students’ spring and class pictures.
Edgewood ISD Superintendent Scott Tyner said in a statement that upon hearing about concerns, they began a detailed review of its existing agreement with Lifetouch to make sure all student photos are securely maintained, used only for school related purposes such as portraits and yearbooks and in compliance with privacy laws.
If the district receives documented confirmation that student data is safe and photo use is limited, Edgewood ISD will consider continuing this partnership.
Kemp ISD said in a statement that it has canceled scheduled photography and discontinuing service with Lifetouch and examining the concerns and any contracted services the district has received through the vendor.
Malakoff ISD said it has canceled Lifetouch’s spring individual and group photos. MISD staff will take the spring sports pictures, as well as kindergarten and high school graduation photos. The photos will be shared directly with parents.
Winnsboro ISD said in a statement that it has canceled its current contract with Lifetouch, and the district is actively seeking a new photography provider. Parents will be notified once spring pictures are rescheduled.
Kemp ISD said said they have begun reviewing their current agreement with Lifetouch to ensure student images are securely stored and fully compliant with FERPA and applicable privacy laws.
“If we cannot obtain clear, documented assurances regarding data security and image-use limitations, we will not continue this partnership,” the district said in a statement.