Was it a scare tactic or something more?

A Dallas ISD teacher is under investigation for reportedly making students give their fingerprints to help solve a crime.

A science teacher at Comstock Middle School is accused of trying to use a little bit of science to track down her missing belongings.

"She said some of the students took her cell phone and credit cards but she didn't know who it was. She told us she was going to fingerprint us," said student Savannah Seal.

Savannah says the entire 7th grade class was told to fill out background check forms with their names, addresses and parent information.

Then the teacher went around with an ink pad and had students fingerprint the bottom of the form.

"She said 'I'm going to find out who did this and press charges against who did it,'" Savannah said.

"There's no way that they should go through a situation like that," said parent Lionel Hayden.

It upset Mr. Hayden to hear his daughter was treated like a criminal.

"I think they stepped over their boundaries. A teacher was doing too much. She's there to teach. She's not there to be a detective," he said.

DISD detectives are now involved.

They have the student fingerprints, and the teacher has reportedly been disciplined, as heard in this voicemail left for the family: "The principal, head principal was notified and appropriate actions were taken administratively against the teacher," an officer said.

The Haydens say administrators told them it was a scare tactic gone wrong.