Bill passes Kentucky Senate to require cursive handwriting be taught in schools

Kentucky lawmakers could soon require cursive writing to be added to the curriculum in schools again.

Senate Bill 167 passed 37-1 on Tuesday, and will now go to the House for consideration.

The bill, if passed by both chambers, would mean that cursive writing would be taught in Kentucky elementary schools starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The primary provision of the bill is for students to show proficiency in cursive by the end of their fifth grade year.

Kentucky State Senator Lindsey Tichenor said cursive handwriting has been proven to strengthen communication skills, enhance fine motor skills and strengthen memory.

"Cursive has been proven to significantly assist in basic literacy and has shown to be very impactful in helping a large percentage of students with dyslexia," Tichenor said.

The International Dyslexia Association writes that brain mapping shows that during cursive writing both the right and left hemispheres of the brain are active, something that is not present either while keyboarding or writing in print.

Common Core removed cursive as a requirement in 2010.