Fayette County Public Schools has joined several Kentucky school districts that have temporarily stopped working with a major school photography company after widespread online claims connected the vendor to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lifetouch, a nationally recognized school photo company that photographs millions of students each year, has faced online allegations linking it to billionaire investor Leon Black. Black maintained regular contact with Epstein and was mentioned more than 8,000 times in newly released Epstein-related documents made public this month by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Fayette County Public Schools has paused any current or future use of Lifetouch services until a thorough review of the matter has been completed,” district spokeswoman Miranda Scully told the Herald-Leader Friday afternoon.
Scully did not immediately respond to additional questions regarding whether any scheduled picture days had been canceled or how many Fayette County schools had been using Lifetouch services.
Why Lifetouch Has Been Linked to Billionaire Investor
An Associated Press report explained that Lifetouch was connected to investment firm Apollo Global Management, which was led by Black and purchased Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly, in 2019. Black stepped down as Apollo’s CEO in 2021, though he was leading the firm at the time of the acquisition.
According to the AP, several school districts across the country canceled spring picture days following widespread online claims tying Lifetouch to Apollo.
The recent developments also prompted the Kentucky Education Development Corporation, a cooperative that assists Kentucky schools in securing service contracts such as picture day vendors, to pause its agreements with Lifetouch.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in alignment with our commitment to student wellbeing, KEDC has suspended any current or future use of Lifetouch services until a thorough review and deeper investigation into the matter has been completed,” KEDC officials said.
Lifetouch Says Alleged Epstein Connections Are ‘Completely False’
Lifetouch Group CEO Ken Murphy stated last week that the allegations were “completely false” and assured school districts that no student photographs had been shared with third parties.
“Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files,” Murphy said. “The documents contain no allegations that Lifetouch itself was involved in, or that student photos were used in, any illicit activities.”
A Lifetouch spokesperson later reiterated to the Herald-Leader that claims linking the company to Epstein are “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 company said in its statement.
“Apollo and its funds also have no role in Lifetouch’s daily operations and have no access to student images,” the statement continued. “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.”
Laurel County Schools, which previously worked with Lifetouch, has canceled its spring picture day.
Before Laurel County made that decision, parents in the district launched a petition calling for the school system to replace Lifetouch with a local photographer.
Harrison County Public Schools also announced it would suspend the use of Lifetouch “pending review.”
On Thursday, Greenup County Schools posted on Facebook that “out of an abundance of caution we are temporarily pausing the use of Lifetouch services while we conduct a review and gather additional information.”
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