Bill Would Require Teaching Cursive Writing In Ohio Schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Some state lawmakers want to bring back cursive handwriting as a requirement in Ohio's elementary schools.

Republican Reps. Andrew Brenner and Marilyn Slaby have proposed legislation that would again make cursive instruction mandatory between kindergarten and fifth grade. Thirteen representatives have signed on as co-sponsors.

The bill would require schools to make sure students can write legibly in standard print by third grade and in cursive by the end of fifth grade.

The state doesn't currently require that cursive be taught in schools, and it's not part of the multi-state Common Core standards on which Ohio's standards are based. However, cursive instruction is included in the state's "model curriculum" for third and fourth grade.