Florida lawmakers may bring cursive back to classrooms, and they should | Opinion

Over the weekend, I visited the Freedom Truck, a mobile museum that tells the story of how the 13 colonies declared independence. The interactive exhibit, which was parked in Boca Raton for the weekend, features a life-sized AI version of George Washington who greets visitors and digital kiosks that offer different activities to learn more about the founding of our nation.

There’s also a digital copy of the Declaration of Independence that allows people to “sign” their name to the document as though they were among the founders in 1776.

As I stood there with a friend reading some of the famous words out loud, I had a realization: There may come a time when future generations won’t be able to read the Declaration of Independence as it was written or identify the signatures at the bottom — because many students are no longer learning cursive writing in school.

It sounds trivial, but then I saw it happen in front of me. A man signed his name on the interactive display, but the kids he was with printed theirs. Those kids probably didn’t know how to write in cursive.

Cursive handwriting was removed from Florida’s school curriculum in 2010 when the state adopted Common Cores Standards. For me, learning cursive in elementary school felt like a rite of passage, and I never thought it would become extinct.

Now it could be making a comeback. The House Education and Employment Committee in the Florida Legislature has unanimously approved HB127, a bill sponsored by state Rep. Toby Overdorf, a Republican from Stuart, that would reinstate cursive instruction and require it be taught in second to fifth grade.

Opponents previously argued classroom time was better spent on other things and the need for typing skills was more pressing. But technology shouldn’t replace foundational skills. I think the ability to write in cursive is important for being able to sign your name and reading historical documents. We shouldn’t lose our ability to understand what our founders — or our grandparents — wrote.

A co-sponsor of the cursive bill, Rep. Dana Trabulsy, a Republican from Fort Pierce, previously pushed back on the idea of making cursive part of the curriculum until she learned from her bank teller that some customers write an “X” instead of their name. Upon hearing that, her position changed.

Calculators didn’t eliminate math classes, the same way spellcheck hasn’t ended spelling lessons. Keyboards and iPhones shouldn’t put an end to cursive handwriting.

A 2020 analysis by researchers in Norway found cursive helped with learning and penmanship. Other studies have shown writing in cursive strengthens cognitive function, improve hand-eye coordination and develop fine motor skills — things that often suffer when students solely rely on texting or typing. Cursive has also been found to help with select reading skills, improved spelling and better memory retention. These skills aren’t trivial.

There are practical benefits, too, such as using cursive to sign legal documents, charge card receipts or banking. While Docusign offers a script font, not everything can or should be outsourced to technology.

The most compelling argument to me is the civic cost. America’s founding documents — not just the declaration but also the Constitution — were handwritten. Letters from soldiers, presidents and other American leaders were written in cursive. Being incapable of reading documents in their original format leaves a generation disconnected from our nation’s history.

Learning cursive also gives students ownership of their work. Their handwriting is uniquely theirs — not digitally generated. With the rise of AI and its ability to produce deepfakes mimicking people’s voices and writing, something simple as handwriting remains personal and sets humans apart. That alone, is both important and worth preserving.

If Florida wants students to grow up to become civically engaged and informed citizens, teaching cursive is a good place to start. Florida classrooms don’t have to choose between technology and handwriting — they can and should do both.

Bringing cursive back into Florida classrooms provides many benefits for students beyond reading historical documents and good penmanship. Learning cursive helps develop cognitive skills and habits that will serve students for a lifetime.

Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com

This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 1:08 PM.