Cursive writing bill penciled in for House floor after unanimous committee vote

A House proposal to impose standards on elementary school students demonstrating mastery of cursive writing cleared its final committee without a “no” vote, though with qualms about students having to show they understand what is being taught.

Despite concerns of multiple members, the Education and Employment panel advanced Republican Rep. Toby Overdorf’s bid to improve penmanship by requiring instruction in cursive from second through fifth grades, with a written exam showing their skills as a precondition to move forward in school.

If HB 921 passes, students would have to be able to write uppercase and lowercase letters in cursive, write legible words and sentences, and read and apply cursive to essays and other assignments.

Currently, cursive writing is taught in grades 3 through 5, but Florida curriculum doesn’t require educators to evaluate the skill.

The sponsor said the skill would connect students with American heritage.

“In a digital age, we must not lose sight of the foundational skills that connect us to our history and that sharpen our minds. If our students can’t read cursive, they can’t read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, or even a grandparent’s handwritten letter. Cursive writing isn’t just a skill. It’s a link to our heritage and a tool for lifelong learning,” the Palm City Republican said.

Teachers and a School Board member countered that cursive is largely obsolete, however, and that the idea of proficiency in cursive would be subjective and actually higher than grade level.

However, Overdorf believes “cursive writing plays a crucial role in everyday life.”

“Going to a bank, signing your name, putting your name on a voter ID card, and that individual signature that then has to be replicated over and over again to prove that you are you. Beyond that, there’s also additional benefits. Early diagnosis of dyslexia, levels of autism are now found to be found in ways that we’re teaching our cursive writing,” he said.

Committee members weren’t all aligned behind the product even as they voted unanimously to move it forward.

Rep. Rita Harris, an Orlando Democrat, didn’t realize cursive was being taught already and fretted about “over-testing” of students, but she committed to support the bill before the hearing.

Rep. Yvonne Hinson, a Gainesville Democrat supporting the bill, warned of the “stress of testing” and said she had a “problem” with adding cursive to the “battery of tests” that students face.

Overdorf noted in close that one goal is to have students be able to read cursive and write an essay. He suggested that the essay could be part of normal homework rather than a formal classroom examination.

While the future of the House bill appears to be written in clear, indelible ink, the script for the Senate version has yet to be penned. Sen. Erin Grall’s bill has three committee references ahead, but has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.