From Trussville Tribune staff reports
Laws passed by Alabama and Louisiana state legislatures in 2016 say the state’s public schools must teach the writing style. That now makes a total of 14 states across the country who require this method of penmanship.
Proponents of the method of writing have said it’s important for children to understand how to read cursive documents or to become more efficient while taking hand-written notes.
House Bill 218 was sponsored by State Representative Dickie Drake (R-Leeds).
Rep. Drake said in a statement, “I successfully passed legislation requiring cursive writing to be taught in all Alabama schools by the end of the 3rd grade and each school board must certify to the state board of education that they are complying with this law.”
Republican nominee for State School Board, Jackie Zeigler said in a statement, “Schools must report that they are teaching cursive as the course of study requires. Without it, our children would not be able to read cursive writing, including signatures.”
Research suggests cursive helps students master spelling and sentence construction because they don’t have to think as much about forming letters.
