Texas Education Agency To Send DNA Kits Home With Students

Safety at Texas schools has been a talking point for many in the state. Many options have been put forth to protect students in school. A new law signed in recently has pushed Texas Schools to send home items to help parents and students, but it has received pushbacks for the reasoning.

New Statute Explained

The law, which you can read the full wording here, now requires schools in Texas to send fingerprint and DNA kits home with students. The kits can be used for children to be identified in cases of emergency. The kits themselves are required to be sent out by the state, but parents are not required to send in their child's DNA or fingerprints.

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Parents Response To The Kits

While the kits are reportedly intended to help a find a child in case they go missing while at school, recent school shootings at Uvalde and Santa Fe have parents understandably worried. ABC13 received a comment from one parent in the Clear Creek ISD, Anthony Crutch:

"It was almost like the state just throwing their hands up and saying, 'We can't do anything about the guns. We're not going to change any of the laws. So, therefore, the next best thing is to make sure that we can identify your K through eighth grader if they are killed in any type of school incident."

The news station also reached out to the sponsor of the bill, Donna Campbell, who responded by saying the kits are meant to help find a lost child if the situation happens.

What are your thoughts on the DNA and fingerprint kits? Let us know by sending us a message using the chat feature on our station app.