Whitesboro ISD has joined the list of school districts who are cutting ties with Lifetouch Photography, the largest family and school photography company in the country.
Nationwide concern arose when recent social media posts identified Leon Black, an associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the CEO of Apollo Global Management, an investment fund that bought Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly, in 2019.
Lifetouch has publicly denounced any wrongdoing and has claimed there is no direct link between the photography company and Epstein.
“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 stated in an email. “Apollo and its funds also have no role in Lifetouch’s daily operations and have no access to student images.”
Regardless, in light of the company’s proximity to scandal, many find the idea of Lifetouch having access to data and photos of children unsettling. This has resulted in several school districts reconsidering their school photography options.
In a post released on Class Dojo (the district-wide communication app) last week, WISD announced it has “cancelled spring picture events with Lifetouch for HPS and WIS, and will be moving to a local vendor for the 26/27 school year. The traditional ‘yearbook’ for HPS and WIS is still available for order through this school year as this keepsake is in publication and requires no additional pictures or identifiers from Lifetouch.”
The announcement received positive feedback from parents who share the sentiments of the district: when it comes to children, safety is a top priority.
Source: Freepik.com