Nationwide controversy has exploded over alleged connections between the parent company of popular school photography contractors Lifetouch and the notorious deceased sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
School districts in other states are cutting ties with Lifetouch, and some Wyoming parents are calling for schools here to do the same.
Meanwhile, Lifetouch has launched a damage control campaign that's included its CEO, Ken Murphy, releasing a public statement defending the company’s integrity.
Murphy also sent out statements of reassurance to school superintendents.
One such statement was sent to Albany County School District No. 1 Superintendent John Goldhardt and shared with Cowboy State Daily on Friday.
In a statement emailed to Cowboy State Daily, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said state school districts should “demand full transparency and ensure airtight privacy safeguards are in place” when it comes to children’s school photos.
Mike Harris, superintendent of Fremont County School District 1 in Lander, said that he’s heard from at least one parent about Lifetouch, and understands the concerns parents have.
However, the evidence for the allegations against Lifetouch doesn’t seem strong enough for his district to stop using the company, he said.
The Alleged Connection
The Lifetouch controversy started over people connecting the dots to what some claim is a link with Epstein, who died in 2019. The narrative goes like this:
• Lifetouch is owned by Shutterfly, which in turn was acquired by Apollo Global Management in 2018-2019.
• Appollo’s former CEO, Leon Black, had documented financial ties to Epstein.
That’s led to widespread concern among parents, who question how securely their children’s photos were stored, and who had access to them.
Murphy stated that Apollo never had any role in Lifetouch’s daily operations or access to students' photos.
Moreover, there’s no mention of Lifetouch in the Epstein files, Murphy stated.
Prove It ‘100%’
Terina Frederiksen has children in Natrona County schools and brought her concerns over Lifetouch to her local school board.
She told Cowboy State Daily that she fully understands the allegations about Lifetouch could be nothing more than sheer speculation.
But the controversy led her to ask more broad questions about how thoroughly school photographers are vetted before they’re allowed direct access to children, Frederiksen said.
School officials should at least check into the controversy over Lifetouch before giving the company any more contracts with Natrona County Schools, she said.
“Unless it can be proven 100% — without a doubt — the schools shouldn’t be allowing it. They shouldn’t be affiliated with it," Frederiksen said.
She and other parents have started a petition calling for Natrona County Schools to cut ties with photography services affiliated with Lifetouch.
They’ve also suggested a list of local photographers whom they think the schools should use instead.
Frederiksen also is a photographer. She said she left herself off the list to avoid the perception that she has ulterior motives for going after Lifetouch.
“I kept myself off the list (of local photographers) to show that this has nothing to do with a come-up for me,” she said. "This has to do with the safety of the children.”
A request for comment from the Natrona County School District superintendent’s office wasn’t answered.
‘Birds Of A Feather’
Brooke Brown and Lylith Lounsberry also have children in Natrona County schools and told Cowboy State Daily they share Frederiksen’s concerns.
“I find it alarming for the simple fact that I don’t think my children’s personal information should be available in such a way that anybody can get ahold of it,” Brown said.
“That raises concerns because, as a parent, your entire purpose is to protect them and make sure they grow up happy, safe and healthy,” she added.
Lounsberry agreed that parents and other adults are responsible for children’s safety.
“It is our job as parents, and adults, and the school district personnel as adults who care for our children during school hours, to put the safety of the children first,” she said.
Black’s apparent connections with Epstein are enough to prompt questions about Apollo and its subsidiaries, including Lifetouch, she said.
“That’s kind of more on the ‘birds of a feather tend to flock together’ side of things,” she said. “We should protect our children at all costs.”
More Degenfelder
In her statement, Degenfelder didn’t name Lifetouch directly, but stressed the importance of students’ safety and privacy.
“Parents should never have to wonder who is profiting from or accessing images of their children,” she stated. “Every school district should demand full transparency and ensure airtight privacy safeguards are in place. Parents have an absolute right to opt their children out and no family should be pressured or dismissed for doing so.
“We will always stand on the side of families, and we will protect children at any cost. The safety, privacy, and integrity of our schools are non-negotiable."
‘Dear John’
Albany County School District No. 1 declined to comment directly to Cowboy State Daily about its use of Lifetouch, but shared the message that Murphy emailed to Goldhardt.
“Dear John, As the CEO of Lifetouch — and more importantly, a father of five school-aged children — I wanted to take this opportunity to personally respond to some recent troubling — and inaccurate — allegations against the company,” Murphy stated. "I also want to offer any support needed to help dispel these rumors within your school communities.
“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,” according to the statement.
Murphy goes on to say the company has been a leader in privacy for students and families.
“Lifetouch follows all applicable federal, state, and local data privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA,” Murphy said. "In fact, Lifetouch was the first school photography company to sign a voluntary and enforceable privacy pledge — reaffirming our deep commitment to protecting school communities.”
‘Through That Process’
Clint Saunders is among the alternative photographers listed by Frederiksen and other parents.
He told Cowboy State Daily that he’s had children in Natrona County Schools and has volunteered in classrooms there.
He said he has 25 years of experience as a photographer and had a “big studio” in North Dakota before moving to Wyoming.
Saunders said he’d be more than happy to go through fingerprinting and an in-depth background check before being offered a school photos contract.
As far as he’s concerned, that should be standard procedure for school photographers.
“If I wanted to go help in my kid’s classroom, I had to go through that process and I agree with that process,” he said. "So why do we have photographers coming in our classrooms and taking pictures of our kids, who haven’t been through that process?”
Although he thinks it would be great to land contracts with local schools, he said he’d have no problem with Lifetouch continuing to serve the schools — if they’re willing to put their photographers through thorough vetting.
“As long as their photographers went through that same process, I’d be fine with it,” he said.
Can’t Just Walk In
Harris said he looked into the concerns over Lifetouch “in depth,” and didn’t find any reason to start looking for alternative services.
“Information is widely available about the privacy protocols that Lifetouch follows,” he said. “Epstein died before Lifetouch was even part of Leon Black’s portfolio under Apollo."
Regardless of what company they’re working for, photographers aren’t allowed to just walk through the doors of Lander schools, Harris said.
“They must provide their ID at the front desk. Then we scan their ID and run it through a background check system called Raptor (from Raptor Technologies),” he said.
Photography companies are also “background-checked” by the school district, Harris said.
“We certainly don’t want to do anything with any company that’s doing anything to harm children,” he said, adding that there are no exceptions.
“Even if we know them (the photographers), even if they have been coming to our schools for years, they still have to provide their ID and go through the background scan every time,” Harris said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
