Oh yah, this is so irritating.
It is "Spring Photos." Well that is what it is called at my kids' school.
Is this the "Lifetouch" school photo company you are talking about????
Schools do it, per that vendor... and the school I think gets a tad of a cut in it. A kind of "fundraising." But it is not obvious.
Anyway, so the way *I* deal with it is: my kids' school will announce when the photo day is. They send a form home to fill out. BUT... they do give the option, that if you do NOT want your child to take these photos, to just note it down on the form and tell the Teacher.
That is what I do. I do NOT want my kids taking these Spring Photos.... (they already took school & class photos earlier in the year via a local photography company in my State), and per research... I do not like that photo vendor. Yes, you have to send back the unwanted/unpaid for photos, or you have to buy it. But they do not say what they do with all those returned photos which also has your child's name on it and info. (ie: their name, the school's name, etc.). So, what is their privacy policy on how they "store" the returned photos or how do they throw away the one's that are not bought???
It is assumed... that the child will take the photos and then the parents will buy it... because their photo sample package, gets sent home with the child.
So again, for me, I am now well aware of this tactic. And I opt out... of having my kids even take the photos on photo day. My kids, they don't even care. I asked them if they want to take photos or not. And they say no. They have other classmates as well that opt out of that "Spring Photo" photo day as well.
But, if you keep the photo samples package and do not return it or pay for it... the Teacher, will then ask you about it. Because they or the school, has to return it and account for it. Too. The school... has to send it back to the photo company. That is what one of my kids' Teacher said.
It is not the school's either. It is the photo company's.
The photo company, would have a database of the school/the kids who took photos/their name/grade etc. And probably in some kind of list. So they will know... who paid or not or returned it or not.
They have to have, a way to track, what was sent out or returned or not.
They run a business.