Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Tex. Education Code § 33.053

This is the official text of Tex. Education Code § 33.053, part of Texas’s Education Code — governs public schools and universities in Texas.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§ 33.053. FINGERPRINTS OF CHILDREN.

Official statutory text

(a) A missing child prevention and identification program may include a procedure for taking the fingerprints of each student registered in the school whose parent or legal custodian has consented in writing to the fingerprinting. Fingerprints obtained under this section may be used only for the identification and location of a missing child.

(b) The board of trustees of a school district or the chief administrative officer of a private school may establish a reasonable fee to cover the costs of fingerprinting not provided by volunteer assistance. The fee may not exceed $3 for each child fingerprinted. If the school charges a fee, the school may waive all or a portion of the costs of fingerprinting for educationally disadvantaged children.

(c) A representative of a law enforcement agency of the county or the municipality in which the school district is located or of the Department of Public Safety, or a person trained in fingerprinting technique by a law enforcement agency or the Department of Public Safety, shall make one complete set of fingerprints on a fingerprint card for each child participating in the program. If the school requests, the Department of Public Safety may provide fingerprint training to persons designated by the school.

(d) A fingerprint card shall include a description of the child, including the name, address, date and place of birth, color of eyes and hair, weight, and sex of the child.

(e) Except as provided by Section 33.054(b), the fingerprint card and other materials developed under this subchapter shall be made part of the school's permanent student records.

(f) A state agency, law enforcement agency, or other person may not retain a copy of a child's fingerprints taken under this program.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Texas?

Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.