OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Lawmakers are considering a bill that would make the instruction of cursive writing mandatory in all Washington state schools.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Pam Roach of Auburn, says students should be learning how to read and write cursive because it’s “part of being an American.”
Most school districts in the state give their teachers the option to include cursive in their curriculum.
A fifth-grade teacher in Olympia, Amy Koster, says she wants students to learn cursive, but that there’s just not enough time to teach it. She says she has students learn it though homework assignments, rather than in class.
State Superintendent Randy Dorn says there are other priorities that schools should be focusing on, such as students’ typing skills.
