Florida mandates cursive in schools as Republican revival spreads

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring public schools to teach cursive up to fifth grade, part of a conservative-led revival of penmanship across the US. Republican legislator Toby Overdorf argued students lack skills to sign mortgages or cheques. Pennsylvania also mandated cursive in April, joining about half of US states. Proponents claim cursive aids cognitive development and allows reading of historical documents like the Declaration of Independence. The push is embraced by conservatives as a return to traditional values, with former Oklahoma schools chief Ryan Walters a vocal supporter. The author, whose son learns cursive in the French lycée system, endorses the revival despite her own poor handwriting.