Some parents with children in Wake County Public Schools are voicing concerns over the district’s association with Lifetouch, a well-known yearbook photography company.
This comes on the heels of revelations connecting Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly, to the controversial Epstein files.
Lifetouch is owned by Shutterfly, which is owned by Apollo Group Management, a private equity firm co-founded by Leon Black, whose name has surfaced in the latest Epstein files disclosure. As of 2021 Black is no longer involved with Apollo.
“It’s very concerning,” said Krysta S, a former Wake County Student. “I mean, my nephews and all of my siblings also got their pictures taken of by Lifetouch,”
Parents and community members have been vocal about their concerns, with multiple petitions circulating that urge the largest school district in the state to cut ties with Lifetouch.
The association with Epstein’s network, even if indirect, has sparked fear and outrage among families. One parent commented, “If they are in any way associated with Epstein or his associates, I want my children FAR away.”
On Friday, representatives told WRAL News the claims were “completely false.”
“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 statement read in part.
Officials said that Apollo and its funds have “no role in Lifetouch’s daily operations and have no access to student images.”
“In fact, Apollo funds did not acquire Shutterfly, Lifetouch’s parent company, until September 2019– two months after Epstein was put in jail and a month after Epstein’s death,” the statement continued.
It comes after the company issued a statement on Monday in response to the growing unrest, aiming to reassure concerned parties.
“No past or present member of Apollo’s Board of Directors or Apollo’s investors have ever had access to student images, for any purpose. This includes Apollo’s original co-founder and former CEO and Chairman Leon Black, who stepped away from Apollo in 2021,” the statement read in part.
For some in the community, this controversy presents an opportunity to reevaluate how local resources are utilized.
“The waters are so deep there. It’s hard to navigate whether they should continue to be a part of school systems,” said Samantha Martin, a Wake County parent. “I honestly am of the opinion that we should be hiring locally. I think that locally, you get better packet rates for people who live in this area.”
According to Wake County Public Schools, the decision to continue to use Lieftouch as a vendor is a “school-level” decision.
A representative tells WRAL some schools and parent-teacher associations are currently in talks about whether they will continue to move forward using Lifetouch. They ask any concerned parent to contact their child’s principal directly.