One of many nation’s largest college images firms is dealing with canceled picture shoots and district-wide investigations amid unsubstantiated on-line rumors suggesting that kids’s images might have been accessed by an individual named within the Jeffrey Epstein information.
A number of college districts introduced this week that they’ve launched investigations into the favored firm Lifetouch attributable to its former, oblique possession by billionaire businessman Leon Black, who was an affiliate and buddy of the late youngster intercourse offender.
“Presently, no proof has been introduced indicating misconduct involving Lifetouch’s operations inside our colleges or any compromise of pupil info. However, we consider it’s applicable to evaluate the matter rigorously and transparently,” Clifton Public Faculties, certainly one of New Jersey’s largest college districts, wrote in a letter to oldsters on Wednesday.
Lifetouch has denied any wrongdoing.
Guillermo Spelucin by way of Getty Photos
A constitution college in Arizona additionally informed dad and mom Tuesday that it was canceling its image days scheduled for later this week “out of an abundance of warning.”
“Whereas we would not have any info indicating a direct affect on our college or our college students, our highest accountability is at all times the security, safety, and belief of our households,” the Prescott Valley Constitution College mentioned in an announcement to oldsters.
In California, the Alisal Union College District in Salinas referred to as the rumors “disturbing” and a problem that “deserves quick consideration” in a letter acknowledging dad and mom’ issues and questions on Wednesday.
“The District takes dad and mom’ issues very severely and we stand prepared to handle questions and obtain feedback from dad and mom, about this and another subject,” wrote the district’s superintendent.
The rumors slim in on Black, who till 2021 served as CEO and chairman of Apollo International Administration. The personal fairness agency owns Lifetouch by way of its 2019 buy of the corporate Shutterfly, which bought Lifetouch in 2018. The deal to amass Lifetouch didn’t formally shut till September 2019, nevertheless, which was a month after Epstein’s demise.
Black resigned as Apollo’s CEO after an investigation revealed that he had transferred hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to Epstein between 2012 and 2017 for what had been described as monetary providers. Black has additionally confronted sexual assault allegations and lawsuits associated to Epstein, although he has not been criminally charged and has denied wrongdoing.
Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos
Black’s previous hyperlink to Lifetouch has led folks to boost issues on-line, with out supporting proof, that he could have consequently benefited from inappropriate entry to Lifetouch’s images. Some have additionally accused Lifetouch of being nefariously listed within the Epstein information. Although the corporate’s identify does seem within the information, it’s in a 2019 financial institution assertion that belonged to an individual concerned within the Epstein demise investigation.
Lifetouch, addressing dad and mom’ issues in a press release this week, mentioned Black by no means had entry to pupil pictures and affirmed that it’s dedicated to safeguarding each pupil’s privateness whereas following all relevant federal, state and native knowledge privateness legal guidelines. An organization spokesperson repeated that the “claims are utterly false” when reached for remark Thursday.
“When Lifetouch photographers take your pupil’s image, that picture is safeguarded for households and colleges, solely, with no exceptions,” mentioned the spokesperson.
In a separate assertion posted on-line, Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy acknowledged Black’s former ties to Apollo International Administration however harassed that “no previous or current member of Apollo’s Board of Administrators or Apollo’s buyers have ever had entry to pupil pictures, for any goal.”
Pupil images are solely shared for the needs of college information and for his or her buy by dad and mom or guardians. Lifetouch additionally doesn’t, and has by no means, supplied pictures to any third social gathering, he mentioned, whereas noting the corporate’s compliance with the Household Academic Rights and Privateness Act (FERPA).
“Moreover, as a part of our a long time lengthy relationship with the Nationwide Heart for Lacking and Exploited Youngsters, Lifetouch prints SmileSafe playing cards freed from cost for every pupil we {photograph} that households can use with legislation enforcement if a toddler goes lacking,” the corporate mentioned.
Megan Montanez, who mentioned her daughter had her {photograph} taken by Lifetouch with the Clifton College District, informed HuffPost Thursday that she stays unconvinced that correct safeguards are in place to guard all kids.
“It’s not a stretch to imagine that simply since you don’t have a direct position in one thing that you simply don’t have entry to different features, particularly as somebody in a management place,” she mentioned in an internet message. “I believe we as dad and mom aren’t indignant sufficient.”
Montanez mentioned she’d prefer to see colleges use native photographers and for varsity officers to be extra clear about how they choose the businesses they rent. If Lifetouch had been correctly vetted, she mentioned, they might have identified earlier about Black’s reference to the corporate.
“The truth that this was public info in 2021 and in 2025 they used an organization that had management with established monetary ties with Epstein is gross oversight,” she mentioned. “It’s our job as adults, [the] neighborhood, to come back collectively and shield our children, particularly as extra info comes out about all of the issues that the DOJ is making an attempt to cowl up.”
Makes an attempt to achieve Black for remark weren’t instantly profitable. A spokesperson for Apollo didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
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