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Fingerprinting kids is a regular thing in the US. I had it done when I was young, maybe 30 years ago. I believe it's used to help identify kidnapped (murdered?) children.

It was so long ago I don't know if they still do it or what's done with the fingerprints now.

Yup. 30 years ago or so, I was in 1st or 2nd grade and I remember they fingerprinted all of us in the school cafeteria. i think they told us it was in case we get kidnapped.

Hmm, did they actually file the fingerprints? I did the same thing, but I specifically remember keeping the actual fingerprints (we used ink).

Are they legally allowed to do this without the parents' permission?

Fingerprints were collected with their permission. There was a lot of stranger-danger anxiety back then.

I guess it’d be good if I had been kidnapped and they could find my fingerprints at the kidnappers house, or prove that I am “me” if I was kidnapped and escaped years later.

My parents bought it as did many others.

I had fingerprints and dental whatchamacallums taken when I was a kid. However, they gave them to us/our parents to keep.