Florida lawmakers want to make cursive great again

Is Florida trying to make cursive great again?

That’s how one lawmaker phrased it as a House subcommittee unanimously approved a bill ( HB 127 ) to require students starting in second grade to learn cursive . Students would then be tested in fifth grade to prove they can legibly write upper case and lower case letters in cursive.

The House Student Academic Success Subcommittee voted 14-0 to advance the measure.

“By the end of grade 5, each student must demonstrate proficiency in cursive writing through an evaluation of written work,” the bill says.

If the Legislature passes the measure, the new education requirements would go into effect in July 2026, before the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Lawmakers pushed for a similar bill last Session, which ultimately failed.