Erased: Legislature fails to pass cursive writing bill

A bill to integrate cursive writing into exams for elementary school students won’t be receiving a signature from Gov. Ron DeSantis after it failed to get through the Legislature.

Stuart Republican Rep. Toby Overdorf sponsored the measure (HB 921) to mandate additional school instruction in cursive for elementary school students.

The House unanimously passed the legislation in March. But its identical Senate companion bill (SB 1394) sponsored by Fort Pierce Republican Sen. Erin Grall was not considered in any committees it was assigned to.

Under current standards, elementary school students receive some instruction on writing cursive. But schools aren’t explicitly required to teach students to read it and state law does not require cursive writing examinations or evaluations.

During the bill’s first committee stop with the Student Academic Success Subcommittee, Overdorf explained the significance of learning how to read and write cursive.

“In a digital age, we must not lose sight of the foundation skills that connect us to our history and sharpen our minds,” Overdorf said. “If our students can’t read cursive writing, 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 lifelong learning.”

The bill focused on mandating instruction for students in grade 2 through 5, while lessons would have been required to include letter formation, proper spacing and alignment, and practicing writing full words and sentences in cursive.

By the end of grade 5, students would have been required to demonstrate they are proficient in cursive writing though an evaluation of written work. That included being able to write in both uppercase and lowercase cursive letters, write words and sentences legibly and maintain proper spacing and alignment.

Students would have also been required to demonstrate proficiency in literacy activities such as writing essays and assignments.

The State Board of Education would have been responsible for adopting standards and pursuing assessments related to cursive writing requirements.