We, the undersigned members of the Wake County community, demand that the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) immediately review and suspend all current contracts with Lifetouch and Jostens based on documented ethical and fiduciary concerns.

1. Financial Funding: The former leadership of Apollo Global Management (parent company of Lifetouch) paid over $170 million to Jeffrey Epstein. A 2023 legal settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands confirms these funds were used to support Epstein's trafficking operations.
2. Ownership Succession: These educational assets—Lifetouch, Jostens, and McGraw Hill—have been traded within a narrow circle of private equity firms (Apollo and Platinum Equity) whose leadership maintained significant personal and financial ties to the Epstein-Maxwell orbit.
3. Historical Precedent: McGraw Hill shares a direct ownership lineage with the Maxwell family (via the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill joint venture), creating a legacy of association that requires immediate transparency for a public school district.

Our Demands:

1. Immediate Contract Suspension: Halt current photo and yearbook operations pending a comprehensive Ethical and Fiduciary Audit.
2. Vendor Data Investigation: Conduct a public investigation into student data storage and confirm no data has been accessible by firms or individuals associated with the Jeffrey Epstein financial network.
3. Transparent Bidding: Require all future vendors to be independent of private equity firms whose leadership has been legally implicated in or provided funding for the Epstein trafficking infrastructure.
4. Curriculum Review: Assess the district’s use of McGraw Hill curriculum in light of the documented historical and management overlaps with the Maxwell-Epstein network.

WCPSS must prioritize the ethical integrity of its vendors. Entrusting student data to companies whose parent leadership funded a global trafficking criminal network is a violation of the public trust.

As the largest school district in North Carolina, WCPSS must lead in protecting the 160,000 students in its care. Entrusting sensitive student data to companies linked to individuals involved in the Epstein investigation compromises the fundamental trust between the district and its families.

Sincerely,

Concerned Parents, Guardians, and Citizens of Wake County