The Mt. Pleasant Area School District has joined a growing number of school systems nationwide in terminating its contract with photography giant Lifetouch.

Superintendent Timothy M. Gabauer notified families of the decision in a letter sent Wednesday.

The move follows community concerns regarding the company’s corporate ownership and indirect links to individuals mentioned in the Jeffrey Epstein files — documents detailing the associates of the late financier and convicted sex offender.

“We were able to discern early on that many members of our educational community were quite uncomfortable with the news related to our vendor and potential connections,” Gabauer said. “We felt strongly that moving in a different direction would be the most prudent decision and enable our families to maintain absolute confidence in the services and vendors we offer.”

The immediate termination has led to the cancellation of all school photo sessions scheduled at the district’s elementary buildings for the remainder of the spring.

Gabauer noted that the district holds “the highest of standards and expectations” for its partners and felt it was necessary to act given the “uncertainties surrounding the company.”

The controversy centers on Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly, which was acquired in September 2019 for $2.7 billion by funds managed by Apollo Global Management, The Associated Press reported. Apollo’s former CEO, Leon Black, had documented financial ties to Epstein and was mentioned extensively in thousands of pages of released documents.

Black resigned from Apollo in 2021 following an independent review of his professional relationship with Epstein.

Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy has called the claims linking student photos to the Epstein case “completely false,” noting that the $2.7 billion acquisition of Shutterfly closed a month after Epstein’s death. In a public statement, the company emphasized that Apollo is purely an investor and is not involved in day-to-day operations.

“No one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images,” the statement read, adding that student photos are safeguarded exclusively for families and schools.

Despite the cancellation of spring photo days, Mt. Pleasant officials confirmed that the current school year’s records are secure.

“School photos were taken in the fall and are now in our possession and are district property,” Gabauer said. “Our elementary school PTOs do a wonderful job of putting the yearbooks together themselves once we have the photos.”

A team of elementary principals will now begin reviewing new photography vendors to make a recommendation for the 2026-27 school year. The district stated that additional information will be sent to families at affected buildings to ensure that all other year-end services remain uninterrupted.

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