In October 2022, Texas schools reportedly began distributing DNA test kits to students, in what appeared to many parents as a callous response to mass shootings at schools.

CREW requested records from the Office of the Governor regarding the distribution of DNA test kits to students. Specifically, communications between the Office of the Governor and the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Health and others. CREW is trying to bring to light the amount of state funds used to distribute the DNA test kits to students. 

The timing of the DNA tests rollout—which began less than six months after the tragic mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas—coupled with Abbott’s continued failure to push forward any effective gun control legislation raises more questions than answers, especially around the true intentions of the kits. As Texas families continue to grieve and fear for their children’s safety, the public should be privy to the conversations that led to Texas’s decision to collect their children’s biometric data and understand how it will be used.

Public Information Act request

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