BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Legislature has passed a bill that would require all Idaho students to be proficient at reading and writing in cursive by the end of 5th grade. The bill will now be sent to Governor Brad Little for him to either veto or sign into law.
RELATED: Can you write in cursive? A new bill aims to make all Idaho students proficient at it
Senate Bill 1044 includes an emergency clause, which means that if it's signed, it would require Idaho schools to comply with the new guidelines and assessments for cursive writing by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
Senator Tammy Nichols (R), who sponsored the bill, says cursive writing has many benefits for students, while opponents to the bill argued that cursive is an outdated practice and shouldn’t be mandatory.
