IN another "only in America" moment this week, school authorities in Texas have this week started distributing free fingerprinting and DNA testing kits to parents, saying the move aims to help them identify their children "in case of an emergency".
The Texas public school system is providing ink-free fingerprint and DNA identification cards to all primary aged students, allowing caregivers to store their children's vital statistics at home so they can be turned over to law enforcement agencies if necessary.
Although the legislation mandating the move was created to "help locate and return a missing or trafficked child", some parents are concerned at the message it sends in the wake of recent school shootings - in particular the botched police response to the attack at Robb Elementary which left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Officials have noted that use of the kits is voluntary, in the face of strong criticism that the Government appears to be enacting measures to respond to violence after the fact, rather than addressing the root causes of widespread gun availability.
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