Tyler-area school districts evaluate ties with Lifetouch amid corporate controversy

Published 5:15 am Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Several East Texas school districts are considering reviewing or terminating their contracts with Lifetouch following public scrutiny of the company’s corporate ownership. The controversy stems from alleged financial ties between Leon Black, the former CEO of Lifetouch’s parent firm, and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019.

Following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act in late 2025, mandating the release of millions of previously sealed Department of Justice records, and the recent 3.5 million-page “document dump” of the files, the public has raised concerns about any entities with ties to the individual named in the Epstein files.

Scope of Lifetouch operations 

Founded in 1936 as National School Studios and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Lifetouch is one of the most recognized names in professional photography. The company serves thousands of schools and millions of families nationwide through its K-12 student photography, sports, and yearbook divisions.

The company also maintains a long-standing partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, providing “SmileSafe” photo ID cards to families at no cost.

The financial ties 

The current backlash stems from a series of high-dollar acquisitions. Shutterfly acquired Lifetouch in 2018 for $825 million; a year later, the private equity firm Apollo Global Management purchased Shutterfly — and by extension, Lifetouch — for approximately $2.7 billion.

Black, who was CEO of Apollo during these acquisitions, resigned in 2021 following an investigation into his personal financial dealings with Epstein. The investigation revealed Black paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning services between 2012 and 2017 — payments made after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor in Florida.

Black has continually denied all allegations of misconduct and has since distanced himself from Epstein, stating that he “deeply” regrets any involvement with the deceased sex offender, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Lifetouch responds 

Lifetouch recently issued a statement clarifying the company is not named in the Epstein files and that Black never had access to student images or daily operations.

“When Lifetouch photographers take your student’s picture, that image is safeguarded for families and schools only, with no exceptions,” said Ken Murphy, CEO of Lifetouch.

The company emphasized that it complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and does not share or sell student images to train AI models or facial recognition technology.

“At Lifetouch, student safety goes beyond the camera lens. As a trusted partner to schools for 90 years, we’re committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of every student we serve. When Lifetouch photographers take your student’s picture, that image is safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions. Lifetouch does not — and has never provided — images to any third party.”

Fact checking

Was Lifetouch directly linked to the Epstein files? In short, no.

As independent fact checkers point out, the link is contextual and the only relationship is through the ownership chain connecting Shutterfly to Apollo Global Management and an association of an Apollo co-founder. No Epstein document alleges Lifetouch was involved in criminal activity or that photo files were shared with Epstein.

In its statement, the company clarified the relationship between Lifetouch.

“Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Shutterfly, the parent company of Lifetouch,” the company said. “Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and therefore no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images.”

Local districts take action 

While this is a corporate-level connection and not a direct involvement, the perception of risk has sparked action at the local level.

Many parents want to see their schools cut ties with Lifetouch. Locally, some districts have announced plans to either temporarily suspend contracts with Lifetouch or terminate them altogether while others weren’t currently working with the vendor.

Bullard ISD

Bullard ISD said in its statement that the school district has suspended its partnership with Lifetouch for the remainder of the school year, or until more verified information becomes available. 

“Please know that the safety and privacy of our students is our priority. We appreciate your patience as we carefully evaluate next steps. We will send an update as soon as these next steps are confirmed,” the district said.

Tyler ISD

“Tyler ISD does not currently hold a districtwide contract with this photography vendor,” the district said in a statement to CBS19. “While some individual campuses elected to use the company’s services during this school year, the district had previously notified the vendor—prior to the recent national headlines—that we would not be utilizing its services for the upcoming school year. We remain committed to ensuring high standards for all vendor partnerships that support our students, families, and campuses.”

Lindale ISD

“Lindale ISD is postponing Picture Day with Lifetouch while we carefully continue to review the current situation. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. We recognize the importance of this event for our families. Please know that we are working diligently to ensure a safe and appropriate path forward. We understand that families may have questions and concerns, and we appreciate your patience as we work toward a responsible and informed resolution.

“Lindale ISD has been reassured by Lifetouch that all past student pictures have been safely secured and only accessed by parents and school officials.“

Kilgore ISD

Kilgore ISD said it has postponed all current student picture events with Lifetouch photography.

“The district is fully assessing this matter and will postpone all current scheduled picture events with Lifetouch to allow time to better understand the information we are hearing,” the district said. “We appreciate your understanding as we complete this process.”

— Dallas Gagnon at masslive.com contributed to this report.